


Taylor Christensen's Holiday Matchmaker Nightmare

by Deflare



Series: Angry Taylor (LISVN) [2]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game), Love is Strange - Fandom
Genre: Explicit Language, F/F, Humor, POV First Person, lisvn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-22
Updated: 2017-10-03
Packaged: 2018-06-10 02:54:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 63,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6936283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deflare/pseuds/Deflare
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's almost the end of the term, and stress is piling up for the students of Blackwell--including Taylor. Things get even worse for her when her newest friend Kate comes to Taylor with a request: To help Kate get together with the girl of Kate's dreams, Dana Ward. The problem is that Dana is also the girl of Taylor's dreams. Caught between her own feelings and those of the people she holds dear, and forced to also juggle growing tensions between Victoria and Courtney, Taylor needs to figure out what she's doing before her entire circle of friends explodes just in time for Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Fuckery Began on a Friday

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place in the timeline of "Love is Strange" Visual Novel's Victoria Route. Playing the game isn't strictly necessary to understand the story, but it'd probably help, and it's well worth your time. Thanks to the team at Rumblebee for creating this delightful alternate take on Dontnod's universe.
> 
> LISVN is purposely a bit unclear about the timeline it follows, and I'm following that principle. For the most part, I'm assuming that the non-supernatural events we see in _Life is Strange_ happened in Max's first year at Blackwell, leaving events and relationships more settled by her second year when the visual novel starts. This leaves the in-universe timeline at some nebulous point between 2013 and 2014.

I grew up in Eureka, California, a city that never gets snow. In winter, it just rains. It rains a shitload. When I moved to Oregon to attend Blackwell, I knew that I'd be getting just as much rain, if not more. I'd kind of hoped that the rain would come with snow, though; that maybe I'd experience one of those 'white Chrismases' that the songs always promised.

I glared out at the gray, rainy day from under my umbrella. It was the middle of December. Hunks of holly dangled from the walls, a tiny Christmas tree sat a little crooked in the TV lounge, the same old songs blared from shop speakers endlessly, ever-growing swarms of Stars of David decorated Juliet and Courtney's doors. There should be some fucking snow falling, dammit. But no, just rain. More goddamn rain.

"Oh my God, Taylor, move your butt," Victoria grumbled as she brushed past me. She was dressed to kill, in her designer leather coat, black gloves, and high-heeled leather boots. Her girlfriend stuck out like a sore thumb next to her. Max smiled sheepishly as they passed by, arm-in-arm with Victoria; the little nerd was wearing a dingy jacket over her usual hoodie, a dopey fishing hat, and honest-to-God rubber rainboots. She clung tight to Vic to keep under the taller girl's purple umbrella, the fashionista and the train wreck, the world's most unlikely pair.

They were so adorable together, it made me sick.

"Wow, it's coming down a lot harder than I thought it would be," a meek voice came from behind me. Turning, I saw Kate Marsh peering out from the Prescott Dormitory's front door, a long, tasteful coat pulled on over her conservative button-up shirt and skirt. She caught my eye and smiled. "Oh, hey Taylor. Do you mind if I share your umbrella? It seems silly to run back up just to get mine."

"Sure, no problem," I answered grudgingly. I swear to God, Kate's smile almost punched a hole through the cloud cover through sheer divine radiance. She pressed in close, and we set off together toward Blackwell's main building. I spent the whole walk doing my best to ignore the faint smell of mint coming from her, and the weird urge I got to pull her into my own coat to shield her from the elements.

Two months before, if someone told me that Kate Marsh would be nuzzling up to me under an umbrella on some random rainy day and my gut reaction would be to protect her with my life, I would've laughed in their face. But then that week in October happened, and things got weird. Max and Victoria got together, bringing peace to the two main cliques of the dormitory's second floor. Then Rachel and Chloe left, Rachel to her new job and Chloe on a journey of self-discovery (which apparently translated to "dropping Rachel off in LA, then couch-surfing around San Francisco for a while"). With the Dipshit Duo gone, Max just got folded into hanging out with me, Victoria, and Courtney, and at some point Kate started associating with us too. She even started teaming up with me in some of our drawing classes. Kate was a sweet girl, not the preachy Bible-thumper I'd expected, and I still owed Dana for scaring me into ending my campaign of total bitchiness.

But Christ, Kate made people want to protect her. I could feel my left shoulder start to get soaked as I shifted the umbrella to make sure she was covered from the rain. She didn't notice; she just smiled and chattered about something her rabbit had done earlier that morning. Alice was, like, the second best thing about being friends with Kate. Rabbits are cute as fuck. Everyone likes rabbits.

Kate paused in her story and waved cheerfully as Courtney drifted over to join us on our walk, under her own burgundy umbrella.

"Hey, Katie! Hey Taylor!" Courtney chirped, pulling up alongside us. She hesitated a moment and squinted at me. "Uh, Taylor? Your arm is getting kind of—“

"HELLO Courtney," I cut in, bowling her over before she could remind me of how cold and numb my left arm was getting. "What're you up to on this beautiful day?"

Courtney just raised a slightly misplucked eyebrow at me (the girl is terrible at it, seriously) and shrugged. "I was taking care of some Vortex Club stuff. Getting things settled for the end-of-semester party."

I nodded along, back on familiar ground. With Victoria focusing on her photo work and spending a ton of her free time with Max, Courtney had taken over a lot of her Vortex Club duties, and that meant that I saw her a lot less than I used to. It didn't help that Victoria still expected Courtney to act like her servant; poor girl had, like, no free time anymore. "Yeah, I'm totes looking forward to that. I'm gonna need something to help me unwind after exams are over."

"Right? I think everyone's feeling the same way." Courtney leaned over to catch Kate's eye. "You should come too! You're gonna be as burned out as the rest of us, and it'll be fun! Dana's running a Secret Santa for all the girls on our floor and everything."

Kate tilted her head thoughtfully, her bun shifting slightly with the change of orientation. "I don't know, I went to a Vortex Club party last year and I didn't feel very comfortable. It's not really my kind of thing, I guess?"

Courtney and I exchanged looks. Last year? Damn, it was easy to forget how much had changed since then. "This party might be more your speed," Courtney said carefully. "Last year, the Club was... a little crazier." There was an understatement. Last year, the Vortex Club had been way more focused on drinking, smoking, and experimenting with harder stuff provided by Nathan, especially in the VIP section. "But then Mx. Dog took over as our adviser, and... some other stuff happened..." —she meant that Nathan's hookup got harder to find, limiting us to booze and pot— "...So now the parties are a lot more mellow. Dana doesn't really do the more wild parties, either; she likes making sure everyone's comfortable, especially at this one. Something about the 'Christmas spirit', I guess? That girl gets way into her holidays."

"Oh, I didn't realize that," Kate said with a smile. "Well, if that's the case, then maybe I will stop by. Thank you for inviting me, and for making sure someone like me can be comfortable."

It took every ounce of willpower I had not to hug Kate to my bosom and tell her everything would be all right. The girl is damned precious.

Courtney grinned back, hopping up and down a little and sending water from her umbrella flying in my direction (she very rudely ignored my protests). "Great! Shoot me a text before the party, I can help give you a makeover! We can see how you look with your hair down, huh?" She wiggled her fingers at us as we stepped into the main entrance of Blackwell, before scampering off to... whatever classes she did in the morning; Courtney was in the school's science track, so she didn't have many classes in common with us artists.

"That was sweet of her," Kate said as she shucked off her coat. She glanced over, then gave me an odd look. "Wow, you got a lot more soaked than I did."

"Must've been Courtney shaking her umbrella all over me," I answered easily, trying not to let my teeth chatter; my arm was getting a bit numb. "C'mon, let's get to class. Those perspective lines aren't going to draw themselves."

Kate giggled and nodded, smiling again as we walked together to the art classroom. Arcadia Bay may have been more gloomy than I'd like, but at least there was one ray of sunshine to brighten up the winter months.

...Ugh, gross. I was spending too much time around Max and Victoria. Their cutesy bullshit was rubbing off on me.

***

That evening found Victoria's room packed to the brim with girls, which was a lot less fun than it sounds. Exam season meant cram season, and we were rallying together to get through our homework and bone up on our classes before the holiday break gave us a chance to forget everything again. Victoria and Courtney were hunched over at Vic's desk, trying to sort out some kind of chemistry problem. Max lounged on Victoria's bed, desperately attempting to catch up on some reading for her English class. Kate and I had the couch and an array of flashcards in front of us, pounding out memorization reps for art history.

"How about this one," she asked, leaning forward to tap a card. "Name, year and artist?"

I smirked at her. " _The Girl with a Pearl Earring_. 2003, directed by Peter Webber, starring Scarlett Johansson."

Kate giggled and gave me a little push on the shoulder. "Be serious! We need to know these for the final!"

"I'm very serious about my movie history." She managed to stifle her giggles enough to give me some faint imitation of a scowl, and I rolled my eyes. "Fine, fine. _Girl with a Pearl Earring_ , 1660's, painted by... Uh... Fuck. Rembrandt?"

"Not quite, though it's the right country. It was painted by Vermeer."

I groaned, leaning back. "Great. Fuck the Dutch, what did they ever do for anyone? Except make New York, I guess."

"They also invented gin," Courtney commented from the desk.

"New York and gin. Great, fantastic, hooray for the Dutch."

Victoria's head dropped to thump against her textbook. "God, I'm even worse off than you are. Why do I need to know this chemistry shit anyway? I'm never going to use it."

"You're a photographer, Tori," Max said, looking up from her book. "You use chemistry every time you develop a photo."

"Correction, I'm a _digital_ photographer," Victoria answered, sitting up straight and raising a finger in the air. "And this is exactly why. I know how to use a computer. I like computers. I don't know shit about chemistry, nor do I give a single solitary fuck. You don't have to develop digital photos, you just print them. It's a much more civilized process."

"You might know more if you—" Courtney cut herself off, looking pained. An awkward silence hung in the air as Victoria's eyes narrowed. I didn't know how much Max and Kate knew about our dynamic, but I was painfully aware of how much shit Victoria had Courtney do. That included a lot of her homework, especially science homework. Even getting that half a sentence out took a lot of guts. Guts that I wasn't sure Victoria would appreciate.

I broke the silence with a fake smile. "Come on, you're _Victoria Chase_. You're going to kick this test's ass. You'll do great."

"Yeah. Great." Victoria's glare stayed leveled at Courtney, letting the feeling of an impending storm linger a moment longer. Then she seemed to deflate, her head slumping down to thump onto the textbook, and the tension drained with her. "Ugh. Fuck me."

"I'm pretty sure that's Max's job," I immediately answered, then ducked. As expected, a pillow came flying at me from the bed; fortunately for me, Max was shit at throwing, and Kate squeaked as the pillow thumped into her head.

Max sat up straight, looking chagrined. "Oh shit, Kate, I'm so sorr—mmph!" The pillow cut her off by hitting her right in the face.

"It's fine, Max," Kate said pleasantly, like she hadn't just fired a laser-guided pillow missile at her friend's face. "I have sisters, remember? I'm used to the occasional pillow fight." Her smile widened, becoming downright fierce (I pointedly ignored the shivers running down my spine). "I'm used to winning them, too."

"Okay, I think we need to take a break," Courtney said, holding her hands up to call for peace. "We won't get anything done if we go to war." She turned to Victoria. "I've got a bottle of red that should settle our nerves."

A few minutes later, we'd all repositioned ourselves from study mode to hangout mode. A bottle of red wine stood in the middle of the coffee table, and glasses of wine sat in hands or on flat surfaces. Vic, Courtney, and I were the bigger drinkers, as usual. Kate's glass just held a little splash of wine, a phenomenon too common for any of us to say anything about it anymore. Max stuck to a can of soda; I wouldn't have expected her to be the teetotaler of the five of us, but she seemed to cling to it with conviction.

Victoria and Max cuddled up together on Vic's bed, oblivious to the outside world. Courtney lounged on the floor on the other side of the coffee table, and Kate and I stayed on the couch, which now also housed our study materials. The three of us were chatting, trying to ignore the room's overbearing couple. Two months in, they were still in the honeymoon phase, barely ever separating if they could avoid it. It was cute when it wasn't sickening.

At least my room wasn't right next to either one's dorm room. Poor Kate, the things she must hear.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one having trouble ignoring the two. Courtney rolled her eyes and loudly asked me and Kate, "God, do they ever stop?"

I shrugged in answer. "Not that I've seen. They're probably making up for lost time; they spent, like, a year pretending there wasn't something going on between them."

"I still can't believe you were right about that," Courtney grumbled. She'd lost ten bucks on a bet over the Chase-Caulfield Question. It wasn't much money, but I guess the blow to her pride still stung.

"I think it's cute," Kate opined quietly. "They care about each other, and they've been good for each other. I like seeing them happy."

"I like seeing them happy too," I said. "I just wish that their brand of happiness didn't also cause nausea."

"We can hear you, you know," Victoria called icily from the bed. She was sitting up now, her short hair messy, a faint flush across her cheeks.

"I know," I answered cheerfully.

"Jeez, fine, if we bug you that much, we can stop," Max said, faking a pout. She pulled away from Victoria and sat on the floor at the head of the coffee table. "See? No more cuddling."

"Hmph." Victoria sat down next to her, taking one of Max's hands into her own and smirking at us. "Don't humor them, sweety. They're just jealous because they're all single."

That prompted a chorus of protests from the three of us, which left Victoria grinning and Max giggling. We settled down quickly enough, taking a sip from our respective drinks.

Courtney was the one to break the silence. "You know," she said thoughtfully, "Victoria might have a point." She looked slyly over her glass at me and Kate. "You were the one to figure Vic's crush out before anyone, Taylor; a sign of some repressed feelings, maybe? And Kate, don't pretend you're as pure as everyone thinks you are. C'mon, dish, who do you two have your eyes on?"

I could feel my face grow pale. This was dangerous ground, because I knew exactly who the answer was. For years, I'd successfully dodged the ever-escalating drama of schooltime relationships. Guys, however cute, were also dumb and annoying, and most girls didn't even warrant consideration. It was way more fun and rewarding to watch, talking about, and occasionally fuck with other people's relationships, staying above it all as Victoria's aloof right-hand co-bitch.

But one person had managed to worm their way into my black rotten apple of a heart: Dana Ward.

In my defense, basically everyone had a crush on Dana. She was tall, she was hot as hell, she was friendly and kind to everyone. Hell, even animals loved her. She was basically a Disney princess, except with six-pack abs and an unfairly nice rack. I'd... appreciated Dana's hotness since I met her, but what started as a mild case of girl-boner had turned into a full-on crush since October; something about seeing her go mama-bear in Kate's defense made me go weak in the knees, and by December, I was having trouble keeping my wits around her.

No one else could ever know.

Dana was thoroughly straight (the rumor mill produced plenty of evidence for _that_ ), and the last thing I needed was for anyone else to know that I was yet another Dana groupie. She had more than enough horndogs of all varieties bugging her without adding me to the mix.

Next to me, Kate had turned bright red, and she was doing her best impression of a turtle as she seemed to try to withdraw into her sweater. That was intriguing; it suggested that she had her own answer to Courtney's question, but was no more willing to spill it than I was.

"The fuck, Courtney?" I asked, doing my best to deflect her question. "If you're gonna put us on the spot like that, at least answer your own—"

"Evan."

That shut me up for a second. I stared at Courtney, jaw hanging open. "That pretentious douchebag?"

A faint blush was creeping up her cheeks as she smiled smugly back at me. "You wanted my answer, there it is. He's not that bad once you get to know him, and I like a boy that can rock an undercut."

"She has a point," Victoria said thoughtfully. "There are certainly less appealing boys at Blackwell."

Max nodded in agreement. "He let me look at his portfolio once; he has a good eye, and he's pretty smart."

I glared at the two of them. "You're not helping."

Courtney leaned forward, smirking. "No more excuses. C'mon, spill."

I took another look around the room for any sign of support. Kate was doing her best to hide behind her mostly-empty wine glass. Victoria had a haughty little smirk and a single eyebrow quirked in interest; she was probably just happy to have someone else's love life put in the spotlight. Max looked a little torn, but she was staying quiet; she was nothing if not nosy, so I bet she was just dying to learn how Kate and I would answer this one.

Well, screw them. When in doubt, lie like a motherfucker. "For your information, I'm not interested in anyone," I said haughtily, "and I bet Kate isn't either. It's hard to even think of that stuff without getting queasy, thanks to that hot mess over there." I waved vaguely in Victoria and Max's direction.

Max put on an offended face, her hand over her heart, while Victoria huffed at me. "Oh, for fuck's sake Taylor, quit your bitching. It's your fault anyway."

"How is it my fault that you're a gross pile of sloppy PDAs?"

"You're, like, half the reason we're even together! Jesus!" Vic rolled her eyes at me.

That declaration was met with confusion from all corners. Courtney and I looked at each other and shrugged, while Kate tilted her head. Even Max looked confused as she turned to her girlfriend. "What do you mean, Tori?"

Victoria sighed and rubbed her temples dramatically. "Oh God, it's story time, isn't it? All right, to start with, contrary to what _someone_ may tell you, I didn't even really think much about you when I first met you, Max. It was this one—" she pointed at me "—constantly yammering about what an _oooobvious_ crush I had on you that even got me started thinking about it. Before then, I was entirely comfortable in my heterosexuality, but then that went out the fucking window."

"'Comfortable in your heterosexuality'. Riiiiiight," I said with a snort. "I'm the last person who's gonna buy that shit, Vic."

"Shut up, Taylor, I'm telling a story about you here. So after this bitch spends a fucking year nattering about this crush that she fucking created, the photo contest happens, and the bullshit gets cranked up to eleven." Victoria started ticking things off on her fingers. "Taylor just happened to have your number on hand to give to me."

"Wait, but didn't you—" Courtney said, eyebrows furrowing.

"Oh my _God_ , I'm still talking! So she had your number on hand. She talked Nathan into lending me his family's yacht. She helped me pick out your outfit. When you fell asleep in here, I wanted to take you back to your room, but oh no, _Taylor_ said we should put you on my bed—"

"Oh what the fuck—" I started to protest. Her story was getting further and further off track from reality, and Max and Kate were wide-eyed and lapping it up.

Victoria cut me off with a raised hand and an imperious smirk. "Oh no, this is my story, Taylor, you don't get to interrupt my story." She turned back to Max. "You know my desktop wallpaper? The picture of you and me working on our photos that you like so much? Taylor was sweet enough to take that."

"Oh, really?" Max smiled at me, beaming widely. "That's a great shot, Taylor. I know photography isn't really your thing, but you're still good at it."

I sighed, running a hand down my face, and muttered, "Thanks Max." God damn, the girl had no bullshit detector. It didn't help that Victoria was mixing her crap right in with the truth.

"Oh, and then there was the day of the contest itself," Victoria continued, "when she basically spent the whole morning talking me into doing something about my stupid crush—which she started in the first place, I'll remind you—insisting that you were into girls when as far as I knew you weren't into anyone—“

"She wears a fucking rainbow bracelet!" I burst out. The offending strand of cords was still there on Max's wrist, along with a spiked punk bracelet. Seriously, Max might as well have worn a sign saying "I'M A LESBIAN."

Max looked down at her wrist in surprise. "Oh, wowsers, I didn't realize that anyone would take it that way. It's just a friendship bracelet that Rachel gave me. I didn't even think that it would be a... I dunno, a gay thing."

The rest of us responded to her comment with stunned silence. Even Victoria's train of thought couldn't plow through that derailing. Kate's voice was quiet, but might as well have been a shout. "Max, even _I_ know what a rainbow bracelet means."

Max's freckles were getting drowned out by the rising tide of red in her face. "Why didn't anyone say anything?"

"We just thought you were quietly coming out," Kate answered. "I was happy for you. Stella considered throwing you a party. But we decided that if you weren't going to make a big deal out of it, then neither would we. Then you started dating Victoria, and the point seemed a bit moot. Did you really not realize how it would be interpreted?"

Max's hand went up to rub the back of her neck sheepishly. "I... guess I never really thought about it? I'm kinda sad I never got a party, though."

"I think it's a little late for a coming-out party, Max," Kate said with a smile.

Victoria pointed at me. "See, it's your fault that I'm dating this dweeb. You started it and wingmanned for me every step of the way, so quit your bitching about your own fucking success."

I rolled my eyes and downed a bit more wine, leaning back into the couch. "Ugh, fine, it's my fault that you're a big gay sloppy mess." My eyes drifted over to Victoria's nightstand, and a wicked grin started to grow on my face. "Speaking of sloppy messes, I hope you've been using that gift I got you."

Victoria's eyes narrowed to slits. "Shut it, Taylor."

I snickered as Courtney rolled her eyes and directed the conversation in a less contentious direction.

We didn't get much more studying done after that. Between the wine, the aftereffects of the previous conversation ("So, _Rachel_ gave you that bracelet," Victoria asked at one point in a tone that threatened eternal torment if Rachel Amber ever came back from LA and even thought of touching Max), and sheer lethargy, we were just ready to crash by the time Victoria kicked us out for some ill-concealed alone time with Max.

As soon as the door clicked shut and locked, Courtney whipped around to glare at me. "Don't think I didn't notice what happened in there. You wound Victoria up so she'd go off and distract us from my question. It was a clever plan, but I promise, I _will_ pry the answer out of you. I don't believe your coy bullshit for a second." Message delivered, she turned on her heel and strode back toward her room, head held high.

I shrugged and commented to Kate, "Bitches be crazy. G'night," and started toward my room. It took me a second to realize that a set of footsteps was following my own. I paused as I unlocked my door, turning to see Kate shifting nervously behind me. "What's up?"

Kate took a moment to answer. "Do you mind if I come in for a little bit? I had something I wanted to ask you."

"Uh. Sure." I shrugged and opened the door, dumping my bag, textbook, and flash cards on my desk. Kate paused at the entrance, looking around my little dorm room.

I guess it was kind of a sight for someone who hadn't seen it before. My walls were covered with classic art prints and old movie posters, with a few more posters rolled up in a corner after I'd run out of wall space. A little tree sculpture sat on my dresser, holding my jewelry, to which I added my crescent moon necklace. A small easel on my desk held a half-finished charcoal drawing of a city street, and artist's models lined shelves wherever they could fit around books and DVD cases. My laptop sat on my bed, somewhat neglected since I'd gotten a big, powerful desktop computer and drawing tablet for my birthday, and a love seat with a low paint-spattered coffee table sat across from a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. My room had a lot going on, decoration wise, which was how I like it. But given how tidy and subdued Kate's room was, I'm guessing she found it a bit overwhelming.

To my embarrassment, posters and art weren't the only things on display. I did my best to casually scoop up dirty clothes from the floor and toss them properly in my hamper. "Sorry for the mess. I wasn't expecting company."

Kate broke out one of her big, warm, sunshine-and-happiness smiles as she stepped inside. "I don't mind; you should see Max's room. I like your posters." She held a hand over her mouth and stifled a giggle as she tapped one in particular. "No wonder you knew so much about this movie."

I glanced over. _Girl With a Pearl Earring_. Of course. "It's a good movie. I stand by my statement, though. Fuck the Dutch."

Kate giggled again, not bothering to stifle this one. I waved for her to take a seat at my desk, while I plopped down on the bed. "So, what's up?" I asked. "You've always been quiet, but I've never known you to act coy."

She shuffled a little bit in her seat, her fingers fiddling with the gold cross around her neck. Finally, she summoned up the courage to ask, "Was that true? What Victoria said about you helping her get together with Max?"

I tilted my head, a little puzzled. "Uh, kinda? I mean, she was totally into Max before I started talking about it, and I wasn't the one who wanted to stick a sleeping girl in her bed. Vic bullshitted some of the details. But yeah, I guess I was her wingman. Sort of."

"I see." Kate nodded, looking thoughtful, then dipped her head a little more, speaking quietly. "Do you... do you think you could help me like that?"

It took me a moment to really register the request. Kate Marsh was asking me to wingman for her. _Kate Marsh_. Asking _me_. To be her _wingman_.

The opportunity for disaster was immense. But so was the opportunity for truly epic levels of hilarity.

I grabbed my laptop and opened it up. "I can probably help you out, sure. Who's the lucky guy to catch the attention of the pure-hearted Kate Marsh? You're not trying to hop on Warren, are you? That boy's got issues, and he's like a baby. Maybe Daniel? He seems kinda your speed, and I'm pretty sure I've seen him looking at you in art class—"

"Um." Kate hesitated a moment. "I'm... not interested in any boys. Not right now. Maybe not ever."

I looked up, eyebrows raised. "Huh, well shit, speaking of coming out; good for you. I can't blame you, the guys around here are kinda awful." A thought occurred to me, and my face split into a shit-eating grin. I started opening tabs one after another. "Did you want to hop on the Chase-Caulfield bandwagon? Max would probably be cool with it, but Victoria's a possessive bitch, so that'll take more work; maybe we can appeal to the dumb harem anime that she thinks I don't know she likes. I thought something like this could happen, so—" I spun my computer around to show her the opened tabs, and finally caught sight of Kate's slightly horrified face.

"No! No! Oh God, no!" Kate was shaking her head so hard that her bun was coming loose, blushing to the tips of her ears. "Nothing like tha— ...Why do you have that many bookmarks about...?"

My open tabs revealed a truly exhaustive collection of sites discussing polyamory, threesomes, relationship advice, and more. On the side of my screen, many, many more bookmarks were obvious, all thrown into subfolders under the general header, "Lesbian Shit".

"Oh, that? Vic's big gay crush was so fucking obvious, like, as soon as they met. So I took it upon myself to do some research for her, to help her figure shit out. I grabbed the polyamory stuff in case Max was already together when someone by the time Vic was ready to do something about the whole mess. My search history is a little fucked at this point, but that's just the sacrifice you make for friends, right?"

Kate's expression was somewhere between awe, horror, and sheer soul-shattering embarrassment. "How many sites did you save?"

"Uh." I blinked, and started skimming the piles of bookmarks. I never had done a proper count. "I dunno. A couple hundred?"

"How did you even find...?" Kate shook her head again, cutting off that thought. "No, that's not important. I'm not trying to butt in on Max and Victoria, Taylor. What they have is sweet and healthy and wonderful. It just made me wish I had something like that. Then Courtney asked that stupid question..."

"She does have a big mouth," I answered with a nod. I set the computer to the side; its services wouldn't be necessary right now. "I thought you might have an answer you were hiding, though." I grinned again, leaning in toward her. "So dish. Who's the lucky gal tempting your sweet, innocent heart toward sin?"

Kate withdrew into herself again, the fingering of her cross going into overdrive (Displaced energy from wanting to finger something else? Bad Taylor, that's the kind of joke one of Dana's dumb jock friends would make). "I... wouldn't put it quite like that... But there is a girl... She's sweet, and caring, and funny and outgoing and really really pretty, but I don't know if she'd ever be interested in someone like me..."

I leaned in further. "A name, girl! A name!"

Kate whispered something.

"Huh?"

She whispered again, no louder or clearer than before. Fuck, if I leaned forward any more, I was risking falling off the bed.

"Speak up, I can't hear you."

Kate gulped, and spat out, "It's Dana."

I fell off the bed, making Kate jump and squeak in surprise. "I'm fine, I'm fine," I said as I picked myself up. I took a moment to think as I settled down, doing my best to calm the coiling feeling in my gut. "Dana, huh? I hate to tell you this, hon, but Dana is, like, way into the guys. Way into them." It was totally ungenerous to say Dana was a slut, but the rumor mill is the rumor mill, and the fact was, Dana was a woman in charge of her own sexuality. Her own thoroughly straight sexuality. "Besides, she's going out with Trevor right now."

"Um, not exactly." Kate apparently noticed how hard she was tugging on her necklace, and folded her hands in her lap, her thumbs twiddling. "We've talked a little about it, and Dana said that she... might be bisexual? She wasn't sure, but she said she'd be willing to give being with a girl a shot, if she were single. And, well..." Her head ducked a little. "She and Trevor broke up yesterday. I guess things just weren't working out with them."

I nodded, doing my best to think through the complete inversion of my worldview. "So, while Dana is feeling reboundy, grumpy about boys, and a little experimental, you thought you'd slip in and steal her away before the news got out and she became the most eligible bachelorette in Blackwell." I grinned to hide my unease, as _Dana is single; Dana is into girls_ kept knocking around back and forth in my head. "Sneaky, sneaky little Kate. Courtney was right, you aren't as innocent as people think you are."

Ah, Kate was blushing again. That part was fun, at least. "I just... If there's a chance that she might be interested, I didn't want to let it pass me by." Kate looked up at me, and behind the embarrassment, there was a surprising determination in her eyes. I never would've figured Kate as someone with some iron to her, but looks can be deceiving. "Dana is just so... so wonderful. I really, truly adore her. I value her friendship, and the time I spend with her. But I can't just let my feelings sit there. I don't want to be the kind of girl who lets an opportunity for happiness pass her by. I want to be with Dana. And I want you to help me."

I leaned back, eyebrows high. "Damn, girl, you been practicing that speech?"

"...Maybe a little."

I smirked at that, before settling back to think. Fact: Dana and Kate were close, so there's no friction to overcome. Fact: Dana was now single, and the poon-hounds of Blackwell would be chasing after her soon. Fact: The fucked-up rumors about Dana would only encourage the poon-hounds, and the poon-hounds would encourage the rumors in a vicious cycle. Fact: Dana and Kate were the closest things to angels to walk this blighted earth, so they would be, literally, a match made in heaven. Fact: I stilled owed Kate a big favor for treating her like shit earlier in the semester. Fact: If Dana was bi-curious, then no one was safer for her to experiment with than Kate Marsh.

Fact: I still had a big, sloppy gay crush on Dana. But, fact: So did everyone else. And, fact: there was no way in hell that I would be a better match for her than Kate. Like calls to like, and if Dana and Kate were angels, then I was a demon trying to get upskirt shots from Hell.

But maybe a demon could redeem herself by bringing happiness to the angels.

...Fuck, I was going too deep down the metaphor rabbit hole. Time to get back to reality.

I took a deep breath, forcing my uneasy heart to shut the fuck up and let me make the grown up decision. I opened my eyes, to see Kate watching me with a big, watery puppy-dog expression. Fucking unfair. "I'll help you. I can't guarantee anything will come of it, but I'll do my best—oomph."

Kate practically tackled me, locking me into a tight hug. Fuck, for such a tiny girl, she had the gripping power of a bear. "Thank you so much, Taylor! You have no idea how much this means to me! God bless you for your kindness!"

Dammit, from anyone else, that last line would've sounded sarcastic. But this was Kate, so it was infused with nothing but pure sincerity. I reached up and awkwardly hugged her. "No problem, Kate. What are friends for?"

'Friends'. From the girl who had been tormenting her two months before. Life is fucking weird.

Kate said her good-byes, after promising to let me know when we could meet up for a strategy meeting. I flopped down on my bed and stared at the ceiling.

So, to recap: My sweetest friend, who I'd been treating like shit for no reason not too long ago, just asked me to set her up with the girl of my dreams, informing me in the same conversation that this girl was a) single and b) not straight.

And, like a dipshit, I agreed.

_Fuck me._


	2. Smalltown Scheming on a Saturday

I'm a fidgeter. I fidget with shit. At that moment, I was fidgeting with my crescent moon necklace, because the other option was to fidget with the pile of folders by my elbow, and I didn't want to mess them up. The smells of bacon, coffee, and trucker stench assaulted my nose, mixing with the occasional waft of salty fishy air whenever the door opened. Even a tiny-ass town like Arcadia Bay has nicer places to eat than the aging diner. But when there was scheming to be done, it had to be done at the Two Whales. It was some kind of weird hindbrain instinct, or maybe it was just because the aged jukebox and weirdo acoustics of the place made it harder to eavesdrop than seemed entirely reasonable.

I took a sip from my third cup of coffee, throwing yet another glance out the window. There was still no sign of Kate, and it was getting a little annoying. After nearly giving me a heart attack with this whole 'seduce Dana into a tender lesbian romance' thing, the least she could do is show up at the damn strategy meeting. If she chickened out, I'd have to figure out a way to get her back. The standard methods of spreading nasty rumors about her that ruined her social life seemed way too harsh for this offense, especially after the way Dana almost mauled me for it back in October, but I'd find a way. Punishment would be levied equal to the crime of wasting my time.

I was also trying really hard not to think too much about Victoria's relationship with the place. She hardly ever stepped into the diner, but she'd willingly come in to work on her photography competition with Max. Three days later, the two were making out on Victoria's bed. My feelings about this whole mess with Dana and Kate were complicated enough; I could do without Cupid pegging me with one of his stupid fucking arrows and creating even more chaos. Romance haunted this diner, despite the trucker smell. Maybe it WAS the trucker smell?

The bell over the door rang, mercifully killing that line of thought, and Kate Marsh hustled in, looking a little harried. Thank fuck, I had long since run out of things worth doing on my phone. She smiled apologetically at me as she slid into the booth across from me. "I'm so sorry that I'm late; the bus was delayed."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "You took the bus down here? Shit, I wish you'd told me; I would've just given you a ride when I left this morning."

"Oh, it's fine, I'm sure you had other things to do," Kate answered. I really didn't, but no point telling her that. "I didn't know you had a car, though."

"Of course I do," I said, leaning out to wave down a waiter; a middle-aged woman with reddish-blonde hair nodded to me from the other side of the diner. "This town is awful to get around in without a car. Too spread out, too damn hilly."

"The bus isn't so awful..." Kate said. Whatever thought she was going to follow up with was interrupted by the waitress' arrival.

"What can I do for y'all?" she asked in a faint Southern drawl. Ugh, just because she worked at a diner in a small town didn't mean she had to fake a fucking accent. Lame. She did a bit of a double-take when she looked into our booth, and her standard may-I-take-your-order fake smile grew into a much more genuine expression. "Oh, hello there, Kate. The usual?"

"Yes please, Joyce," Kate said with a smile and a nod.

I gave my order for bacon, eggs, and a slice of pie, then raised an eyebrow at Kate. "You seriously come here enough to have a 'usual'?"

"This is one of Max's favorite places in Arcadia Bay," she said with a little embarrassed smile. "We come here together a lot."

"Huh. And you're on a first-name basis with the wait staff?"

"Only Joyce. She's always really sweet to us, especially Max. She's Chloe's mom, and I guess Max was like a second daughter to her."

"Huh." I blinked as I processed what she'd said. "Whoa whoa whoa, Ms. Y'all-Come-Back-Now is Chloe's mom? Like, Chloe Price? Tall, blue hair, swears a lot, constantly reeks of weed?"

Kate covered her mouth in a failed attempt to stifle a giggle. "That's the one. Joyce and Chloe are more alike than you'd think from first glance."

"I'll take your word for it. Small fuckin' world." I clammed up as the waitress—Joyce—returned with a mug of steeping tea, a plate of fruit-covered waffles, and my plate of cholesterol. The food might kill me someday, but at least I wasn't drowning myself in carbs like Kate. Though I had trouble faulting her figure, so maybe she had things more figured out than I did.

Kate and I took a few minutes to enjoy our food before getting down to business (and no sooner did I think that than the fucking _Mulan_ song got stuck in my head; that wouldn't leave for the next goddamn week, I can say that now). Kate gestured with a strawberry-laden fork at the pile of folders at my elbow. "What are those?"

I grinned, scooting my plate aside and spreading the folders out. "Dossiers," I said. Each folder was one of three colors, with a name written on the tab and a photograph paper-clipped to the exterior. "I have one for each of the principle agents—that's you and Dana, here in the black folders; I have some potential allies in the blue folders; and the red ones are your competition."

"Competition?" Kate frowned. "Do you really think we have to worry about that?"

"Afraid so. Lucky you, you picked, like, one of the most popular girls in the school to have a crush on. I can't fault your taste, but plenty of other people will happily hop aboard the Dana train if they realize that it's open. Guys _and_ girls."

"Oh." Kate looked a little crestfallen as she eyed the thick stack of red folders; it was the largest of the three stacks, almost as tall as the ally pile. "I didn't realize that it would be such a big problem."

I shrugged. There wasn't much to be done for it. I knew damn well that Kate and I weren't the only ones with big flaming crushes on Dana; I was pretty sure basically the entire school did. Who wouldn't leap at the opportunity to get with her?

Kate carefully swept the folders toward her and started skimming, starting with Dana's folder. It contained all the information I could find about Dana's likes, dislikes, habits, schedule, and personality traits. I rambled as she read, "Sorry that I couldn't get more details. Turns out, Dana's surprisingly cagey about some of the stuff she does, and this was the best I could get on a night's notice."

Kate looked up, startled. "A night's notice? Taylor, when did you make all these?"

"Uh." I paused, thinking back as I sipped my coffee. "Mostly last night. Or this morning. Y'know, that fuzzy time kinda between them. It took a while to get everything consolidated."

Kate took another look at the folders, counting them out. "You filled out thirteen dossiers over the course of a single night? Did you get any sleep?"

"I got enough," I lied. Sort of lied. I'd napped a little bit the previous night, but caffeine was basically the only thing keeping me running at this point. Whatever, I'd operated on less sleep, and I wasn't even nursing a hangover like I usually did on a Saturday morning. "I had a job to do, and I don't fuck around. Besides, I already had, like, a lot of the information on hand for Vortex Club bullshit; I just needed to get some updates in."

"If you say so." Setting Dana's profile aside, Kate finished off her waffles, then started laying out the dossiers. Her brow became more and more furrowed as she read the names. "All right, I understand Max, Victoria, and Juliet in the ally list. What does Brooke have to do with anything? And why are all these people in the rivals?"

I leaned forward, always eager to share what amounted to organized gossip, and starting pointing at folders. "So as far as I can tell, Brooke is mostly straight, or at least too focused on Warren to get into the Ward race. Don't ask me what she sees in him, I don't pretend to know. She does lighting and sound work for the theatre classes on campus, and theatre is, like, Dana's main thing here, so they've become friends that way. Or at least acquainted. She's not as obvious a slam-dunk recruit as Juliet, but she's still useful to have on board."

I shifted over to the rival folders. "Some of these are more tenuous than others. Trevor and Logan are guys I know Dana's been involved with in the past. I know you said that she broke up with Trevor, but sometimes that kind of thing isn't, like, permanent. At the very least, he might resent any attempts to get together with her so soon after they broke up." My finger shifted over. "Justin and Hayden are friends with Dana, and I'm pretty sure they'd both be happy to be more than that. I have it on good authority that Justin almost got into a fistfight with Trevor last year over the whole thing. I don't know if he's moved on, but in case he hasn't, we need to be prepared. 

“Hayden is complicated by his thing with Ellie and Olive," I continued, referring to Hayden's two sort-of girlfriends. That was a relationship dynamic that I would never understand; my research into polyamory gave the basic vocabulary for them ('stable polyamorous open relationship'), but how they made it work in practice without anyone trying to murder anyone else was beyond me. "But from what I've seen at Vortex Club parties, they're pretty open to dragging a pretty new girl into their weird trio."

Kate tilted her head. “All right, that sounds... strange, but I guess it's something to think about.” She moved to the last three folders. "What about these? Stella, Daniel, Evan? You really think they're interested in Dana?"

I shrugged in response. "I think most people are a little interested in her. I'm not as sure about these three, but they do have more connection to her than most. I know Daniel and Evan have asked Dana to model for them before—I bet you'd seen some of Daniel's sketches on Facebook. They're also both different and artsy enough that if Dana is tired of jocks and skater bros, she may drift toward them. Like, if she's into you, she's at risk of being into them too." I tapped on Stella's dossier, thinking carefully. "As for her... I honestly just have kind of a gut feeling. Stella's a quiet one, and the quiet ones are always freaks."

Kate frowned. "Wait, I'm quiet. Max is quiet. Neither of us is a freak."

"Unconfirmed," I answered, and smirked as Kate pouted. "So maybe not /always/ freaks. But I get a freaky vibe from Stella. She's too buttoned-up, too withdrawn, kind of everywhere without being anywhere. A girl who works that hard needs a way to cut loose, and I bet she plays just as hard." Considering how often I'd seen her quietly selling drugs to students at the fringes of Vortex Club parties, I was pretty confident in that statement. But there was no need to tell Kate about—.

With another tilt of her head, Kate looked pensive, tapping her chin. "Well. That... May not be entirely untrue. Stella doesn't tell me much about her exploits, but from what I can tell, she does lead an active sex life. And then there's her, uh, side business; she says she limits how much she samples from what she sells, but given what she sells, that still probably qualifies as 'playing hard'."

My eyebrows shot up so fast that it hurt my forehead. "Whoa, wait, what? You know about that? How the fuck do you know about that?"

"Language," Joyce chided as she passed by, scooping up our empty plates and refilling my coffee. "This is a family restaurant, young lady."

I resisted the urge to snap back at her. When the waitress was gone, Kate answered, "Stella and I are friends. She's part of my Bible study group, though not the abstinence group as I'm sure you can guess. We're actually pretty close, though not in any kind of romantic way." She shrugged. "She has a pretty wild life, from what she's told me. But she's nice, and she has some interesting thoughts to share during discussions."

My back thumped into the aged vinyl seat as I took in the new information. "Holy sh—uh, crap. I had no idea." I leaned back in eagerly. "C'mon, girl, dish. No one else in the school has any gossip on Stella. You're sitting on a gold mine here!"

Kate gave me a disappointed look, which made me cringe and shrink back. Holy shit, she was worse than a disappointed mom. "It's really not for me to tell, and I don't want her private life spread all over the school. Besides, this isn't about her. Weren't we supposed to be here to talk about Dana?"

I grumbled, straightening to a normal position. "Fine, fine. But I _will_ get it out of you, I promise you that."

"Good luck with that," she answered with a small smile. Looking down, she shuffled some folders around, pushing Evan and Stella's off to the side. "What I can say is that whatever her proclivities, Stella isn't interested in a dedicated relationship right now—she doesn't have the time or the desire. And I don't think Evan will be a problem either. His boyfriend might object to him doing anything with Dana."

"Huh." I flipped Evan's folder around, skimming through the scant information I had. "Didn't know he was involved with anyone, let alone another guy. Anyone I know?"

"Probably not; he lives in Portland. Evan mentioned him to me during a project last year, and from talking what Evan said, I think he's just not very interested in girls except as models for his photography." Kate sighed. "Poor Courtney, she'll be heartbroken."

"Probably, but it'll be hilarious when she finds out." If there was any better demonstration of how different Kate and I were, I can't think of it. "So we just have to worry about Trevor, Logan, Justin, Hayden, and Daniel. Some of them may not have a chance with Dana, but they can still, like, cause problems for us. We can expect Max and Victoria to help however they can, and we can try to recruit Juliet and Brooke." I slid the appropriate folders into their piles, leaving just two left. "Just have to worry about our stars here."

Kate flipped open Dana's folder again, opening her own dossier up as well. "So why do I get a folder, but you don't?"

"Huh? Why would I need a folder about myself? I'm not involved in this except to help you out. I don't need to know anything about myself, and you don't need to worry about me." Plus I didn't want to have to figure out my folder's color; in all honesty, I'd probably be red. Or red and blue striped. Maybe just purple? Point is, that got a little too close to either lying or confessing right to Kate's face for my comfort.

"But I know about myself too, yet my profile is right here." Kate's forehead wrinkled as she skimmed the page. "With some inaccuracies. I wouldn't call myself 'prudish', and I'm not Catholic."

"That's not really so much to tell you about you, as it is to tell you what everyone else knows about you," I answered easily. "This is the shit that Dana is likely to think about you, except for whatever you've talked to her about privately. It's useful to have that on hand for comparison."

"If you say so," Kate said dubiously, and shifted her attention to Dana's dossier. It was mostly filled with discussion of Dana's public activities as a cheerleader, party planner, and Vortex Club... not so much 'member', as 'honored guest'. There was also an exhaustive breakdown of her known and suspected friendships and relationships, a lot of them simply referring to the other dossiers. Private feelings and personal details were a lot sketchier. "What do you think I should actually do with all this?"

"Mostly, we're here to brainstorm," I said. "Figure out what ins you have to make Dana think of you as more than just her shy church-mouse friend. Find things you already have in common, and what interests you'd be willing to fake in the name of romance."

"I didn't really want to fake anything. That feels a little dishonest." Kate scanned the line of Dana's known 'likes'. "I don't know anything about sports, for example. And I can barely stand to watch horror movies."

"Most of them aren't that scary once you know the plot," I assured her. "And the shit Dana watches isn't even scary; it's more, like, old cheesy monster movies and shit. She loves a bad movie. Anyway, the point isn't to lie to her. The point is to..." I waved my hand, trying to figure out how to phrase it. "Think of it this way. If—sorry, _when_ you get together with her, you're going to pick up some of her interests, right? That's just, like, what people do. This way, you're just getting a head start, finding ways to break the ice."

"I guess that makes sense." Kate still sounded doubtful. Well, if she didn't want my help, she could tell me to fuck off and this whole thing would be over. Instead, she folded her hands and leaned forward to look me in the eye, an unusually intense expression on her face. "Where should we start?"

"Damn, you _are_ serious about this, aren't you?" I grinned and leaned in. "Well, I do have a few ideas..."

***

The strategy session wound up taking a few hours, several more mugs of tea and coffee, and the occasional urgent trip to the skeezy diner bathroom. By the end of it, though, we had a game plan ready to go.

We based the pattern as closely on what worked for Max and Victoria as I could arrange. The basic idea was that Kate would focus on getting face-time with Dana, while I would move behind the scenes and make sure everything went smoothly for the two of them by recruiting allies and getting the rivals to fuck off and leave them alone. The finish line: the Christmas party. Classes were over, so all we have left were finals and term papers. That gave us just about a week to get Kate and Dana together in time for the party, where the two of them would dance their cares away together and kiss under mistletoe, while I got drunk and congratulated myself on pairing my one true crush off with someone else—

Goddammit, Taylor! Stop thinking like that!

Anyway. Step one was for Kate and Dana to talk more, and that's what put the two of us in the Prescott Dormitory hallways just after noon (after I gave Kate a ride back to school—friends don't let friends take public transit). Kate shuffled nervously, one hand gripping the strap of her purse tightly as the other hovered over Dana's door. Said door was already somewhat ajar, but I guess Kate was too nervous to just barge in. I couldn't blame her. Cheerful pop music poured out through the gap; given Dana's music-listening habits, that didn't mean much except that she was still breathing.

I lurked as inconspicuously as possible around the corner. Fortunately for me, Dana's dorm is right next to the short hallway leading to the showers, so I had the perfect spot to hide out of Dana's sight while hovering to give Kate moral support (and some emergency gestures if she needed help). I had my phone in my hand, my thumbs automatically scrolling through various apps as I pretended to have a normal reason to hang out there. I was also desperately not to hum along to the fucking song stuck in my head.

After what felt like a hellish eternity, Kate's knuckles hit wood, and Dana's voice called from inside the room, "Come in!" Old, undermaintained hinges squeaked, and Kate stepped quietly into the den of the cheerleader. I sidled a bit closer to the corner, straining to hear the conversation.

"Hey, Katie-Bun! What's up?" _Katie-Bun?_

"Hi, Dana. I, um, wanted to ask you something?" Dammit Kate, the uptalk wasn't going to help anything. And because she was inside the room, I couldn't deliver useful gestures. Stupid fucking plans failing in seconds.

"Sure, no problem! C'mon and sit down, we haven't had time to talk lately." The music dropped in volume, and there was a little shuffling and the squeaking of bed springs as Kate, presumably, sat. "What's on your mind?"

"Um, well, you go jogging in the mornings, right? I see you sometimes, when I'm getting ready in the mornings." Was Kate starting to sound more relaxed? I sure hoped so.

"Yeah, I like it. It's a good way to wake up, especially when the rain's hitting your face, and it's great cardio. Plus, it means that I can usually hear your sweet violin music right when I get back." My eyebrows shot up at that. Damn, smooth, Dana. Who was trying to seduce who here?

"Oh, well, thank you, you're sweet." Jesus, I could hear Kate's blush. "But I was wondering if, maybe, I could... join you in the mornings? I've been thinking of picking up jogging, but I heard it's not a good idea to start exercising by yourself, so I thought you'd be a good buddy to mmmmmph."

Puzzled by the noise, I craned around to carefully peak through the open doorway. Thankfully, Dana was facing the other way, busily hugging Kate's head tight into her chest—a potentially lethal display of affection, given Dana's assets. "I'd love to go jogging with you, Kate! Oh man, this will be so much fun!" She released her death grip, and Kate gasped for air as she straightened, face a hilariously bright shade of red. Dana prattled on, "Do you have jogging gear? If you don't, we can get you some; it's not too expensive..."

"Taylor? Why are you creeping on Dana?"

My head snapped around so fast that it thumped against the wall. Ow. Standing in front of me, wearing a nerdy T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants covered with spaceships (but not wearing her glasses, and wow did that make her look weird), and carrying a towel and shower supplies, Brooke Scott eyed me with suspicion.

I immediately put a big fake grin on my face as I answered quietly, "Hey, Brooke! You look good with your hair down. I like it." It wasn't a lie; Brooke naturally had thick, straight hair that some girls would take hours of work to imitate. Unbound, it brushed her shoulders, the red highlights standing out well. For a huge nerd, Brooke was pretty good at maintaining her appearance. "I was hoping to talk to you soon, actually, but now's, like, not a great time, I guess. For either of us."

"Uh-huh." Brooke's expression didn't slacken. "You're not answering the question. Why are you creeping on Dana?"

"I, uh..." Fortunately, a lifetime of lying like a liar had prepared me well for coming up with excuses on the spot. "I need to borrow something from Dana, but she's busy, so I was just seeing if she was done. She's not, so I'm just waiting."

"I see. And what, exactly, did you need to borrow?"

Shit. "Her... chemistry textbook?"

I didn't think Brooke could look any more skeptical, but hot damn did she surprise me. "Dana is in organic chemistry with me. You're telling me you need her o-chem textbook?"

Fucking hell, Dana, why did you have to be such a goddamn overachiever? I barely knew what organic chemistry was. "Uh. Yeah, I think there might be some advanced bonus questions on the final, or something, and I could use the extra credit. So I figured I'd, like, look through Dana's book, y'know?" Before Brooke could poke any more holes in my story, I switched tact, going on the offensive. "Anyway, I shouldn't keep you. Looks like you're grabbing a shower, right? You should get to it before someone grabs the stalls."

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Right. At noon on a Saturday. When it's otherwise empty. Which is why I'm getting a shower now in the first place. Whatever, just don't fuck with Dana, all right? She doesn't deserve it, and besides, I'm pretty sure she could beat the shit out of you."

"No fuckery intended, scout's honor," I said, holding up my hand in the appropriate gesture. In my defense, I WAS a Girl Scout. When I was seven. For a month. Cookies are harder to sell than you'd think, okay?

"I hope so, for your sake." Brooke turned and stepped into the shower room; a moment later, I heard the water start running, and I relaxed. Brooke took long showers, which meant I was free from her scrutiny for a while.

There was another problem, though. With the hiss of the showers coming from in front of me, I couldn't hear a damn thing in Dana's room, just the droning of differently-pitched voices chattering at each other. Fuck, time to get creative.

Sliding carefully, I scooted up to the corner of the wall and took a look up and down the hallway. No one in sight. Craning my head, I could just make out an errant makeup mirror on Dana's coffee table, which showed her talking animatedly with a quiet, bemused Kate. I just had to make sure Dana wasn't looking at the door, then...

The heel of my boot slipped treacherously on the smooth hallway floor as I darted across Dana's doorway, forcing me to steady myself with a hand on the wall. Or, in this case, a hand on Dana's door slate, wiping out the message of school spirit she'd written there. Shit. That gave me an idea, though. What more reasonable excuse could I have to stand near Dana's door than putting something nice on her slate?

Smiling at my cleverness, and angling myself so that Dana wouldn't see me if she glanced out her door, I picked up the dry-erase pen and went to work. 

With a wall between me and the shower, I could hear their voices pretty clearly. From what I could tell, Dana and Kate had just finished arranging their meeting for the next day to go shopping for running supplies. Perfect, shopping was a great bonding opportunity. Victoria dragged Max out shopping and bam, two days later, smooching. The plan was going swimmingly.

"...So how have you been, Kate?" Dana asked, her bed creaking as she moved around. "Everything going okay?" She sounded worried. Shit, was something up with Kate that I should know about?

Kate sighed softly, and answered with saintly patience. "Everything's been fine. The winter is a little hard on me—" huh? "—but I'm managing. I feel pretty good about my classes and exams, and I've been making friends."

"Yeah, I heard. Victoria, Taylor, and Courtney, huh?" Concern dripped from Dana's voice. I couldn't blame her, honestly. I still had trouble believing that particular fusion of social circles. "I didn't see that coming. They're treating you all right? You're sure they're not just gearing up for some kind of mean-girl prank?" I shrank a little away from the doorway, guilt starting to gnaw at me. Dana knew exactly what kind of person I was; of course she was worried that I was going to do something shitty to Kate. And that's why Kate was the better match for her than me.

"Of course!" Another creak of bedsprings. "I know what they've been like in the past, believe me I do. But they're changing, Dana, really. Victoria is so much sweeter now, especially when Max is around, and Taylor and Courtney are actually really nice when they don't feel like they need to protect themselves." If anyone else said that, I'd assume they were bullshitting Dana because they knew I was listening. From Kate, though, it all sounded just... honest. However minuscule the praise, it still helped ease the squirming in my stomach, replacing it with a gentle warmth in my chest. Jesus, Kate had a hell of an effect on people.

Dana could apparently feel it too; I swear, I could hear her smiling. "All right, if you say so, then I believe you, Kate. I'm so glad that you're making friends. And you're right, they're not that bad when they're not trying to out-bitch each other." She giggled. "Taylor helped me take some head shots for a project last year. She spent the whole shoot teasing me, but then she spent, like, hours editing the pictures and helping me pick out just the right ones. I asked her why she was willing to blow so much time on it, and she just said 'true art can't be rushed'."

That sent the feeling of warmth straight from my chest to my face. I remembered that whole incident. During the photo shoot, I spent way longer than I needed to staring through a viewfinder at Dana, free to ogle under a pretense of artistry. I also dragged my feet on the editing work, focusing more on shooting the shit with Dana in her room. Totally worth it for the chance to spend some time with her. Fuck artistic integrity, I just wanted to hang out with the hot cheerleader.

"That sounds like Taylor," Kate said quietly, and seriously, did she not remember that I was supposed to be listening to the whole conversation? "She tries so hard to seem like she's too cool for everyone, but she's willing to put in so much work for her friends."

"Yeah, I guess she is." Dana sighed. "She'd probably be better off without Victoria, honestly. They bring out the worst in each other." This was more familiar ground. My whole life, I befriended 'bad influences'. Victoria was just the latest of my friends to make people whisper about me. And just like my previous friends, she had virtues that most people never got to see. Whatever, fuck the haters.

"I don't know, I think there's more to their friendship than that. Everyone needs someone who's willing to accept you at your worst, and then you can strive to be better together."

Dana chuckled. "Holy shit, Kate, you're a treasure. I hope you're right. Just let me know if they start giving you any problems, all right? I have a lot of experience dealing with bitchy girls, I can help you shut them down."

_You already did,_ I thought, another stab of shame getting me in the gut. I shook my head, putting the thought out of mind before refocusing on my drawing. I'm an asshole; I was quite aware of this, and didn't need any reminders.

I heard the bed creak as Kate stood and walked toward the door, her steps way quieter than they needed to be. They stopped just by the door, and I heard Kate's voice much more clearly say to Dana, "Actually, that reminds me. Taylor was talking about doing a movie night soon, to help relax between finals. Would you be interested?"

"Sure, sounds fun! Just let me know when it is!"

"I will!" Kate still wore a smile that beamed like sunshine as she stepped out into the hallway, doing an admirable job of pretending that she didn't see me. The door clicked shut behind her, and she carefully edged over to a patch of blank wall before wilting, sinking to the ground and leaning her head back against the wall with her eyes closed. Her fingers found the cross around her neck, fidgeting with it frantically. "Lord above, I think that conversation was the hardest thing I've ever done."

"You did good, kid," I said as I put the finishing touches on my drawing. "Nice touch with the movie night. Acting like it's my idea takes a lot of the pressure off you. I can set everything up, say that everyone else flaked, and then fake an emergency from Victoria to give you two some alone time."

"You sound like you've done this before," Kate said, her eyes not opening.

"I... may have done this once or twice when I was younger. Though usually the person I stranded wasn't in on the joke. I was a bad person to tell about your crush in middle school; there were all kinds of fun pranks I could pull with that information."

"Well, I'm glad you're using your powers for good." She opened her eyes and smiled at me, before getting distracted by Dana's slate. "Oh, wow."

Kate stood to get a better look at the drawing as I automatically scrawled my signature in a corner. Dry-erase marker wasn't exactly the best artistic tool, but I was still pretty proud of my creation. A lioness lay relaxed and poised in sketchy grass, an approximation of the Prescott dorm in the background. Between her front paws, a little rabbit nibbled on the grass, completely safe under the predator's eyes. Dana's triangular earrings dangled from the lion's ears, and the rabbit wore a cross necklace.

I pulled my phone out and snapped a quick picture. The medium may be temporary, but there was no point letting a perfectly good drawing disappear without even a record.

Kate seemed weirdly wowed by the thing. "Taylor, this is really beautiful work. Did you really do that just while Dana and I were talking?"

"I mean, I guess? It's not that big a deal." I shrugged. "I've basically done this exact drawing before; I just had to add the earrings and cross. You could probably do better."

"You're not giving yourself enough credit," she answered quietly, before pulling her phone out and taking her own photo. "Besides, I have a more cartoony style; your work is a lot more naturalistic. I've always been impressed by it." She frowned as she returned the phone to her purse. "What's Dana going to think when she sees it, though? It seems a little... out of place. And it's really obvious who the rabbit is supposed to be."

"That's the idea. She's going to think it's cute as fuck, and maybe it'll give her some ideas." I grinned at her. "You're her 'Katie-Bun', after all."

Kate's face went bright red before she could cover it with her hands. "Oh God, you heard that."

"Damn right I did. And if you think that I'm going to forget about it anytime soon, then you're sorely mistaken." I winked, she blushed more, I snickered to myself. "All right, I have a movie night to go plan. Gotta figure out what to watch." I shifted on my feet as I thought, tapping my chin. "Say, have you ever seen _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_?"

Kate shook her head, looking puzzled. "I haven't. Is it good?"

That question almost broke me. Through sheer force of will, I restrained myself to a wolfish smile. "It's an experience, and I think Dana will appreciate being there when you pop that cherry. That settles that, then. I'll get it sorted, you focus on making nice with the bae. Have fun on your date tomorrow!"

There was a moment of silence from Kate as I walked down the hallway toward my room. I just managed to overhear her say to herself, "Good Lord, it _is_ a date," and start on a whispered prayer before I got to my doorway.

So far, so good. Now, for the next step of the plan.

... _Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons?_

Goddammit, fucking catchy-ass songs.

***

Juliet Watson was a predictable person. To get on her good side, you provided her a tidbit of fresh gossip. To get on her bad side, you made a play at her boyfriend. And to find her on a Saturday afternoon, you checked the cramped office of the _Blackwell Totem_.

As expected, she was the only person in the office, hunched over a computer with the keys chattering away under her fingers. No one else at Blackwell took the school newspaper very seriously, but Juliet saw it as a springboard to a prestigious school and a trip to the journalistic big time. I didn't have the heart to tell her that print was dead and she should really be working on a blog or something. It was just too precious watching her try to get people enthused about her ratty old piece of paper.

I shut the door behind me, and Juliet turned her head a little to address me, her eyes sticking to the screen. "Hey, Jason, can you hand me the style guide? It should be on Adam's desk."

I had no idea who Jason or Adam were, but it wasn't too hard to spot the book in question, bristling with brightly-colored tabs to mark different sections. I grabbed it and took it over to Juliet, handing it over. If the tapping of my boot heels didn't tell her that I wasn't Jason, then apparently my bright red fingernails did the trick. Juliet looked up, startled, and leaned back. "Taylor? What the hell are you doing here?" She crossed her arms and glared at me. "Is this about that article I wrote on the Vortex Club? If Victoria has a problem with it, she can talk to me herself instead of sending one of her goons."

Rude. I pulled a chair over and sat, crossing my legs primly. "Victoria didn't send me. I need information, and you're the best person in Arcadia Bay to provide it."

Juliet's eyebrows rose, and she slowly unfolded her arms. "Well, that's interesting. What kind of information?"

I folded my hands, doing my best to talk like my dad did when he was in a business meeting. "I'm here on behalf of a third party regarding your best friend, Dana Ward. To make it simple: My friend is romantically interested in her, and you know more about her than anyone. I want your help."

"Really." Juliet leaned in, clearly intrigued. "And who's your friend? Or is this just a way for you to fish for information to give Dana shit?"

"Why does everyone think I want to start shit with Dana?" I plowed through before Juliet could come up with a witty answer. "I'm not about to tell you who it is, but I can assure you that if this works out, Dana will benefit. My friend is, like, the perfect... significant other." Man, staying gender-neutral was hard.

"That's good to know." Juliet shrugged. "But I'm afraid if you don't have any information for me, then I don't have any information for you. So I guess we're done here." She started to turn back toward the computer.

"Goddammit, Juliet," I said, rolling my eyes. "Look, you want something. What is it?"

She turned back, smirking at me, with an answer already on her lips. "An interview with the Vortex King and Queen. Nathan Prescott and Victoria Chase, one hour, at a time and place of my choosing, and they have to answer all my questions."

I sucked air between my teeth as I thought. Juliet had been yammering after Victoria for months now about an interview, before and after printing that article calling the Vortex Club a cult. She'd been shut down every step of the way, so of course this was what she wanted. My kneejerk reaction was to stick to the party line and tell her to fuck off.

But then a vision of Kate looking sad and despondent flickered through my mind. Fuck that, Victoria could deal with some awkward questions. "I can get you Victoria. She picks the time and place, and she thumbs-up or thumbs-down the article before it's published."

"Victoria and Nathan. They pick the time, I pick the place. They can see the article before it's published, but they don't have final say; I'll talk the editor into giving them space for a rebuttal if they want one."

I weighed the counterproposal. "Like I said, I can get you Victoria. I'll do my best with Nathan, but I can't promise anything there. But if Vic agrees, you dish. Deal?"

She considered a moment, then nodded. "Deal." We shook on it, and I silently prayed that Victoria would agree. I was pretty sure God didn't exist, but if He did, then hopefully He'd take the prayer on Kate's behalf. He wouldn't do shit on my account, but Kate's faith had to count for something, right?e

I stood up and brushed myself off. "Any advice you're willing to offer off the bat?"

Juliet tapped her chin thoughtfully, then smiled. "Go look up stuff about the meanings of crystals. That's all I'll tell you for now."

"Ooookay, weird. But thanks." I shrugged and turned to leave.

I heard Juliet's chair squeak as she turned around. "You actually are helping a friend, right? This isn't just some dumb ploy to go after Dana yourself?"

I froze up, and glanced back. Juliet's expression was joking, but was there a bit of suspicion there? A bit of malicious understanding? Fuck, was she onto me?

"Don't be stupid," I answered stiffly, before scurrying out.

This shit was starting to get nerve-wracking. And now I had to convince Victoria to agree to Juliet's interview. That was going to be a bitch and a half, and my job was only going to get harder before it was was done. _Just think of Kate, Taylor. Remember why you're doing this. Just think of Kate._

The things I do for friendship.

_...Swift as the coursing river..._

Fuck!


	3. Sausage-Making Sunday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some misogynistic language.

A cold drizzling rain fell outside of the cafe in downtown Arcadia Bay. This was the only part of the town that could be described as 'classy', but the glamour of it was ruined by the dull grey clouds and constant rainfall. Inside the cafe, baristas called out orders, expensive coffee machines hissed, and the air was choked with the muggy smell of a dozen wet coats drying. Completing the dismal atmosphere, Victoria and Max sat across the small table from me, slumped against each other despondently, like their bond was the only thing keeping either of them from falling apart.

I sat and sipped my coffee silently, glaring at them. Curiosity warred in my mind with my stubbornness; I wanted to know just what their problem was, but I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of asking about it. Unfortunately, curiosity had an unexpected ally from awkwardness--the silence was getting to me.

God fucking dammit. "Okay, you win. What has you two so fucking gloomy?"

My question startled them out of whatever doldrums they were in. Victoria stared at me, wide eyed, while Max just let her head sink down onto arms folded on the table. "Oh, it's nothing major, it's just..."

"Max, don't tell her anything. She's just being nosy."

"What? It's not like it's a big deal."

"Max..."

"It's just that one of our ships sank. That's all."

Victoria pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Goddammit Max."

 _Fuck me, why did I even ask?_ Well, too late, I was already in too deep. The only way out was through. "'One of your ships sank'? Did you two, like, get into the import/export business without telling me?"

Max snickered and answered before Victoria could stop her. "It's short for 'relationship'. Shipping is where you're watching a show or something, and you really want two characters to get together. Victoria and I were watching a show, and we were shipping two of the characters hardcore, but the last episode we watched made it really weird."

I took another sip of coffee as Victoria groaned, and savored the opportunity to watch Max wave their nerd flags around, oblivious to how much Vic was cringing. "That is, without a doubt, one of the dorkiest things I've ever heard of. So what made your ship weird?"

Max sighed. "The characters are sisters. Long lost, so we didn't know until it was revealed this last episode."

"Wow, so you two are all bummed because the hot lesbian couple to watch turned out to be incesty?" I smirked at Victoria. "You're getting really into the whole out-and-proud thing, aren't you Vic."

"Oh fuck you, Taylor," Victoria grumbled. I had apparently pushed a button. "The chemistry between them was fucking obvious! It has nothing to do with whatever gross fetishism you're thinking of!" She sat up straight, her hands gesticulating as she slipped into what I called her weeaboo mode. "The main character is a rebel and a freedom-fighter, tracking down the woman who killed her father. The other girl is her main rival, the dictator in charge of the school where everything is happening—" since when did schools have dictators? "—the boss bitch who keeps everyone in line for the greater good. They're always in conflict, but they're also so similar! They're both stubborn and strong-willed and kind of insecure and damaged and trying to do what's right by taking things into their own hands! It's fucking electric! You don't have to be a lesbian to see it!"

Victoria stopped and gasped for breath, leaving the rant hanging in the air. Her face changed to one of horror as she realized that several people in the cafe were staring at her. She groaned and shrank into herself, covering her face with her hands. Max reached over and awkwardly pat her on the shoulder.

I chewed on the rant. Something about the two characters seemed really familiar... Wait. "Hey, this rebelly main character chick. Does she have blue hair?"

Max looked up, surprised. "Yeah, with a red streak. How did you know?"

"Lucky guess." I smiled smugly and sipped on my coffee. "So you two were getting hot and bothered over the sexual tension between the blue-haired rebel and the queen bitch she hates. Doctor Freud called, Vic; he thinks you're repressing some sexual feelings about a one Chloe Price."

I jumped and cursed as an expensive shoe collided with my shin. Victoria glared at me, still cradling her face in her hands, while Max...

Max's eyes had gone unfocused. She was staring off in the distance, a growing blush rising up her cheeks, and she was biting her bottom lip.

"Holy fuck, Max," I said, leaning over to rub my shin. "Your girlfriend is assaulting me, and you're sitting there getting off at the idea of her making out with your best friend? You've got issues, girl."

"I wasn't—!" Max spluttered, bright red and waving her hands around to defend herself. I just snickered like a maniac as I dodged another kick from Victoria.

"Okay, if you're done fucking around, T," Victoria said as we settled in a little, Max still looking a bit worse for wear, "did you bring us here just to stir up shit? Or did you actually have something you wanted to talk about?"

I reached into my bag, pulling out a pair of dossiers--copies of the ones I'd given to Kate the previous day. I set the black folders down facing the couple. Vic didn't bat an eye; she was pretty familiar with my dossier system by now. Max looked a lot more confused, and she reached out to start flipping through the folders. "I need your help with something. As you so laboriously pointed out the other day, Vic, I helped you two become an item. So now I need you to pay it forward, and help me wingman for someone else." I pointed at the appropriate folders. "Namely, helping our dear Katie snag the girl of her dreams, one Dana Ward."

Victoria raised an eyebrow at me as Max beamed and burst out, "Are you cereal? Kate has a crush on Dana? That's so cute! And it totally makes sense, they're really close and Dana is a sweetheart."

"Yeah, she is," Victoria said reluctantly. "So you're helping Kate get Dana? You sure you want to do that, Taylor?"

My stomach did a flip. _Fuck, does she know?_ Victoria knew me better than anyone in the world. I'd never talked to her about my feelings for Dana, but if anyone could guess it... I put a sickly grin on my face. "'Course I do! I owe Kate, and Max is right, it's, like, the perfect match. Besides, if I said no now, it would, like, break poor Kate's delicate little heart."

"Uh-huh..." Victoria kept an odd expression on me. Fortunately, Max was too oblivious to notice.

"Of course we'll help!" Max said eagerly, digging into the folders with much more enthusiasm. "What do you need us to do? And what about Trevor?"

"They broke up, according to Kate, but he's still a concern. Mostly, I need you to help me keep an eye on the competition." I pulled out another batch of red folders, my heart rate slowing as I moved to less dangerous territory. I'd removed Evan from the pile in light of Kate's information about him, but I still had my suspicions about Stella, so her folder remained in the mix. "Max, I know you were kinda friends with Justin and Trevor through Chloe and Rachel, and you know Daniel better than I do. Daniel probably doesn't know about the breakup yet, but Trevor obviously does, and that means Justin probably does too." I turned to Victoria. "You can help me with Logan, Hayden, and Stella."

"Wow, are you sure about all these people?" Max asked. "Stella? Daniel? How are they involved? And why would Victoria be able to help you with Stella?"

The next few minutes was spent hashing out the same things I'd told Kate the previous day, then sorting out plans. Max is a natural snoop, so she was tasked with watching people and ferreting out what information she could without tipping her hand. Was Trevor trying to woo Dana back? Would Justin see this as his opportunity? What was going through Daniel's head? Her nosiness could, hopefully, be used for something worthwhile for once.

Victoria, meanwhile, is a master of manipulating social circles. We'd spent years making Blackwell dance to our tune by combining my information with her brains, and this would be no different. Hell, it felt nice to use those skills for good for once. Hayden was an easy target, since he was tied in closely to the Vortex Club and didn't seem to put a lot of effort into keeping secrets (though I wasn't so sure about Ellie and Olive). Stella was more mysterious, but that kind of worked to our advantage. If she tried anything more proactive than just hanging out and dealing, then the break in character would immediately come to our attention.

As for Logan...

"You don't think Dana is still into that gorilla, do you?" Victoria asked, her nose wrinkling. Being on the football team was an automatic boost to a guy's social status and attractiveness, but there were limits. Zachary? Dumb, but cute and the quarterback, therefore still a catch. Logan's boarishness, thick skull, and jarhead-ish face made him a lot less appealing despite the football-shaped boost.

"God, I hope not," I answered, rolling my eyes. "I don't know what she saw in him in the first place, but trust me, she's, like, totally over it now." The last year of rumors had made that abundantly clear. "But I don't know if _he's_ over it. Logan is a stubborn fuck, and Dana is Dana. He spent most of the last year scuffling with the skater bros over Trevor's relationship with her. Now that they've broken up, Logan might think he has a chance, and he's going to resent anyone trying to step in on 'his' woman." I completed the explanation with finger-quotes and a sour look. Fucking caveman-minded asshole. Just the thought of him getting his meaty paws on Dana made me want to choke a bitch.

"So we need to keep him off of Kate's case." Victoria laced her fingers together, her mind whirring. Being Victoria's friend could mean dealing with some serious bullshit, but seeing her evil genius at times like this made it all worthwhile. "Logan probably wouldn't expect someone like Kate to be a real threat if he's trying to reclaim Dana. He's more likely to watch the other guys you have listed here, but if Kate does squeak in under his radar, that's going to hurt. Losing the hot cheerleader is bad enough; losing her to another girl would be a crippling blow to his masculinity." She reached down, sliding folders around until Logan's was surrounded by the other rivals. "Perhaps we can use one problem to solve others. If we keep Logan's attention on the other guys, he can help us scare them off, and that would distract him long enough for Kate to charm her way into Dana's heart."

I nodded along, my mind already racing ahead to the web of rumors and innuendo we'd have to lay down. "That should be easy. He already has conflict with the skater bros, and Daniel's an easy target for him."

Max frowned, leaning in and sliding Daniel's folder out of its position in the lineup. "Daniel deals with Logan's bullying enough as is. The last thing I want is to give Logan another excuse to be an asshole to him. Daniel's a nice guy, and even if I'm rooting for Kate here, I don't want him to get hurt. Can't we do this another way?"

Victoria and I looked at her, startled. Shit, Max was already totally changing our dynamic; two months before, neither of us would've thought of something like that. "Well..." I said, my mind whirring. "Trevor and Justin can handle themselves, and Hayden doesn't give enough of a fuck for Logan to bother him. But you're right, Daniel, like, isn't tough enough for this." I thought a moment more, then grinned. "But you know who is? Evan."

Victoria glanced down at the dossiers. "Who you neglected to include, I'll note. I definitely remember you telling me that he had a thing for Dana at one point."

"I have it from a reliable source that I was wrong. But if I thought he was into Dana, then Logan may think so too. And if anyone can shut down Logan and keep him distracted while walking out unscathed, Evan can."

"How do you figure?" Max asked.

"Evan holds himself above everyone else," I explained. "It's what makes him kind of an asshole, but it also makes him basically immune to random drama in school. He doesn't, like, let shit stick to him. If Logan starts harrassing him, Evan's smart enough to shut him down without giving a fuck. He wouldn't back down or take it to heart like Daniel."

Max nodded along thoughtfully, and looked about to ask something else when her phone alarm went off. She jumped and checked it, then cursed as she gathered her stuff and stood. "Sorry, guys, I need to get back to campus; I have a Skype call with Chloe lined up soon."

Victoria started to rise from her seat. "Did you want a ride back?"

"No thanks, I'll just take the bus back; that's what the alarm was for. I know you have that big chemistry paper to work on, I don't want to waste your time." Max leaned over, giving Victoria a quick kiss, before waving and darting out. "Good luck, guys!"

I smirked, lacing my fingers together and watching Victoria. "Oh yeah, Vic, how _is_ that chemistry paper going?"

Victoria rolled her eyes at me and picked up her phone. "I'll ask Courtney. She should be about done with it by now."

"The timing isn't terrible," I said, trying my best to sound innocent. "There was one more thing I needed to talk with you about."

Her phone made the sound of a sent text message, and Victoria looked up at me suspiciously. "Really? Something you couldn't talk about in front of Max? Does it have anything to do with how you're helping get Kate laid when you have a total lady-boner for her?”

I stared at Victoria in stunned silence, my train of thought flying off the rails and plummeting down a cliff to a fiery demise. "Wait, what? What the fuck are you talking about, Victoria?"

"Oh come on, don't try to bullshit me. I know you better than anyone, Taylor, and I've seen how you look at Kate these days. You're a bitch to everyone, even the people you like, but you're sweet to her. You're always talking about how nice she is. You're constantly going into her room to pet her rabbit—"

"Don't drag Alice into this!"

"—When it's obvious you really just want to do some heavy petting with Kate, and don't think I didn't see your little adventure with her under the umbrella on Friday." Victoria put on an exaggerated doe-eyed face and raised her voice to a squeak. "'Oh no, it's so rainy out! Can I share your umbrella, Taylor? Oh, thank you! Wow, you're getting so wet, Taylor! And I don't just mean your arm—'"

"God dammit, Vic," I hissed, glancing around to see if anyone I cared about was listening to this bullshit. "That's not what's going on! This whole matchmaking thing is, like, a huge fucking mess for me, but not because I'm not into Kate!"

"What," Victoria said with a snort, "do you want to fuck Dana instead?"

The silence lingered between us like the smell from the mens' bathroom after the cafeteria's burrito special.

"...No fucking way."

I dipped my head, my face burning. "Oh shut the fuck up. Everyone has a thing for Dana."

Victoria's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure that's—"

"And anyway," I interrupted her, "it's not like I have a chance in the first place. Dana is Dana, I'm me, we're not exactly compatible. Kate is a great match for her, I'm not, end of fucking discussion, so can we move on?" Christ, how had we wandered so far off topic? I still needed to pry an agreement out of Victoria for Juliet. The favor-trading that powered social circles was an ugly thing, but the sausage had to made, dammit.

"Oh no way." Victoria shook her head and waved a finger at me like I was a naughty child. "I've known you for over a year, and this is the first time you've talked about who gets your panties wet. I always knew you were gay as fuck—"

"—Okay, _what_ —"

"—but Dana and Kate? I didn't think your tastes would be so _wholesome_. I shouldn't be surprised, though. You're, like, the anti-Max."

__"Okay, first, how are you still on me having a thing for Kate? I don't have a thing for Kate."_ _

__"Keep telling yourself that," Victoria said, smugly taking a sip of her latte. I don't know how one sips smugly, but Victoria had the trick down cold._ _

__I flipped her off. "Second, the fuck do you mean 'the anti-Max'?"_ _

__"Isn't it obvious? Max is a good girl, and she's into bad girls. And boys, actually—did you know skater boys get her weak in the knees?" Victoria snorted in laughter, a goofy smile spreading on her face. I hate to admit it, but she was cute when she was talking about her girlfriend. "But Chloe, Rachel fucking Amber—she won't admit that she thinks those two were hot, but she totally does. And then there's me, the alpha bitch, the baddest of the bad." She jabbed a finger in my direction. Shit, Victoria did like to point. "You're the beta bitch, though, and a total asshole." I had trouble arguing the point. "So of course you're into goody-goodies like Dana and Kate. It's just how people work. People like us, anyway.”_ _

__I folded my arms and smirked at her. "So what you're saying is that I'm in the perfect position to steal your girlfriend if I wanted to."_ _

__"Bitch, if you touch her, I will rip out your fingernails and shove them in your eyeballs."_ _

__"Holy shit, Vic." Her eyes narrowed at me, and I raised my hands up defensively. "Christ, I was joking. I have no interest in your waify hipster's nonexistent ass." Victoria backed off, placated. "Anyway, I think you're still totally off base about the Kate thing, but fuck it. That's not important. What I needed to talk to you about is—"_ _

__Victoria's phone rang, and I groaned and rolled my eyes to the ceiling. For God's sake, this whole conversation had been a clusterfuck. Looking down, I saw Courtney's face on the phone's screen for a second before Victoria picked it up and swiped the phone open._ _

__"Courtney. What's up?" Victoria's expression darkened as she listened to the other end of the line. "...You what? What are you—" More talking, more anger on her expression. "Fuck. Where are you? Okay, I'll meet you there in ten minutes." She swiped the phone closed and took a deep breath, practically radiating fury, before she started to pack up her stuff._ _

__I eyed Victoria warily as I gathered my things too. Odds were, whatever had pissed Victoria off would require my attention as well. "What's going on?"_ _

__"I'll tell you on the way," Victoria said, her voice chilly. "We need to go take care of some business."_ _

__***_ _

__The air in Victoria's car was icy cold, and it wasn't just because of the near-winter air outside. In short, clipped sentences, Victoria told me the situation: Courtney was freaking out, and she couldn't finish Victoria's big chemistry term paper. A paper that counted for a quarter of her grade that semester, and which she had to get an A on to avoid a dip in her GPA (Victoria wasn't exactly great at chemistry tests and in-class work, so she was banking on exemplary homework from Courtney to carry her through). I kept my mouth shut. The last thing I needed was for Victoria to turn her wrath on me while I was trapped in her car, so I spent the ride furiously thinking of ways to mitigate the oncoming disaster. Sadly, I was drawing a blank._ _

__We found Courtney in her room, surrounded by open textbooks and balled-up tissues. Victoria slammed open the door without knocking, making Courtney jump, spin, and hiccup. She was in her pajamas, and her face was blotchy from crying. She apparently never got around to putting on her makeup that morning, which was the only thing saving her from ugly mascara streaks down her cheeks._ _

__Courtney kept her room nice and tidy. It was decorated in dark colors, with a few posters of fashion models and pop bands on the wall interspersed with some of Victoria's pictures and my drawings. The small couch, desk, low tables, laptop, and makeup supplies would've looked normal in any girl's room at Blackwell. The main places that marked Courtney uniquely were her closet full of carefully curated clothing, and the bookshelves and desk space dedicated to thick, intimidating tomes on science and mathematics._ _

__I slid in past Victoria and leaned against Courtney's closet, watching quietly. Victoria closed the door with a quiet click, then folded her arms and stood over Courtney imperiously. The crying girl looked like she was trying to figure out how to disappear into her couch._ _

__Silence hung thick in the air, broken only by Courtney's occasional choked sob._ _

__Courtney was the one to break, and everything came spilling out. "I'm so sorry, Victoria, I've just been so busy, I completely forgot about your paper, and now I just don't have time to do the reading and the labwork and the writing and the—"_ _

__Victoria held up a hand, and Courtney went silent. Slowly, in measured tones, Victoria said, "What, exactly, has you so busy that you have no choice but to fuck me?"_ _

__"Victoria..." I said quietly, but a fierce glare shut me up. This was dangerous, dangerous ground._ _

__Courtney flinched. "Well, just, between the Vortex Club stuff and my own homework and finals and this stupid fucking statistics course, I just didn't have the time to work on your stuff too. I... I can help you as much as I can to get it done. Maybe you can do the labwork and I can help with the reading and the—"_ _

__A sharp chop of Victoria's hand cut her off, and Courtney looked up with wide eyes. "No," Victoria said, fury making her voice start to tremble. "No, you clearly have too much on your plate. Don't worry about the paper, Courtney, I'll get someone else to take care of it." A brief look of hope flashed across Courtney's face, before Victoria dashed it. "In fact, you don't need to worry about the Vortex Club either. I hope you enjoyed your time in the sun, because you're out. Before the week's over, you'll be out of every other social circle at Blackwell. You'll have all the time in the world to cry you eyes out and work on your fucking homework, bitch, because no one will give you the time of day as long as you're at this school."_ _

__Courtney gaped, a fresh well of tears streaming down her eyes. I frowned and tentatively reached out to Victoria. "Jesus, Vic, don't you think that's a little harsh? She just—"_ _

__"She just decided to fuck over the baddest bitch in town, and now she's enjoying the consequences." Victoria's mouth twisted into a cruel harsh smile, one that I hadn't seen in months, as she looked down her nose at Courtney. "'For every action, there's an equal but opposite reaction'. You've heard that phrase, right? Well, here's your reaction, whore." She turned sharply on her heel and opened the door. "Come on, Taylor. We have shit to do, and that doesn't mean wasting time with Blackwell's newest pariah."_ _

__I looked back and forth between Victoria and Courtney, who looked like her whole world had just collapsed (which, honestly, it kind of had). Part of me wanted to rush to Courtney's defense, to bitch out Victoria and stand by my friend, to fight for justice and damn the consequences._ _

__That's what part of me wanted._ _

__It was outvoted by my inner coward._ _

__Bowing my head, I slunk out past Victoria, throwing one last glance at Courtney before carefully closing the door. I'm pretty sure I left some important part of my soul back in that room._ _

__Victoria was shaking by the time we reached her dorm room, the key rattling against the lock for a moment before she could slide it home and step inside. She stumbled over to her couch and sat, her head cradled in her hands as she took deep breaths._ _

__Still walking on eggshells, I carefully moved around to sit by Victoria and put a hand on her back, rubbing rhythmically. Victoria didn't let herself slide into real, true panic very often, but sometimes she couldn't help it. It was a part of herself she tried to hide from everyone, even Max and Courtney; I think Nathan and I were the only ones to see her when she was really bad off. The key was to stay patient, stay quiet, and let Victoria recover at her own pace._ _

__It took a few minutes, but Victoria's breath started to grow more even, and her trembling eased up. "Water," she croaked out, and I immediately rushed to grab the half-full cup she kept on her desk. Victoria's eyes were glassy, but she didn't make a habit of letting herself cry. She called it strength._ _

__Once the cup was empty, Victoria set it down on her coffee table and folded her hands, her mind clearly whirring away. "Okay. I need this paper done by Friday. Who can we call on to do it?"_ _

__I hesitated a moment, but frankly, the correct answer was just too obvious. I had to put it forward. "I think maybe if you let Courtney help you, then—"_ _

__"Fuck Courtney. She's dead to me," Victoria said with finality. "As soon as I get this paper set up, our job is to bring her down and make her life hell. I'm not about to let her get away with this kind of betrayal."_ _

__I grimaced. There was no arguing with her like this. Hopefully, she'd be more reasonable after having a chance to cool down. "Okay, not Courtney. But it still might be easier to get someone to help you than to give the whole project to someone else."_ _

__"I need an A on this paper, Taylor. I'm not going to accept a hit to my GPA because of that whore. I have standards to uphold, and you and I both know that if I do the work, I'm not going to get an A."_ _

___Because you kept foisting your homework off, so you have no idea what you're doing in that class,_ I thought, but my survival instincts were strong enough to keep my mouth shut. From the outside, it was easy to see how Victoria had dug her own grave, but telling her about it now wouldn't do anything but get me added to the shit list._ _

__Instead, I said, "All right, so we need someone that would get you an A in a week, but is also pliable enough that we can get them to do it." That was a pretty tall order. The science kids and the art kids at Blackwell didn't always mesh well. Much of the school's social elite were art students, especially among the girls, which meant that a lot of the science geeks were resentful of us and would love to see us fall. Courtney had bridged the gap by being Victoria's bitch; without her, our leverage over the nerds was limited. A few names still came to mind, though. "How about Warren Graham? He seems like he'd do anything for a pretty face."_ _

__Victoria snorted and shook her head. "Still obsessed with Max. Every time I see him, he gives me this sad puppy-dog expression like I just stole his favorite toy, and she keeps complaining to me that he's been bugging her, saying he's 'concerned' about her and me. He's not going to do shit to help me out."_ _

__"Gross." What the fuck was with guys getting all possessive and creepy about girls? Did they think it was endearing? Because it totally isn't. "All right, so no Warren. How about Stella? She's always busy, but she responds well to hard cash."_ _

__"Maybe." Victoria frowned, rubbing her chin as she thought. "I'm getting near the end of my allowance for the month, though, especially with Christmas shopping. I'm not sure I'd be able to meet her price. So I'd prefer to leave that as a last resort."_ _

__I did my best to keep myself from rolling my eyes. Victoria could probably skate easily to the end of the month, but that would require her to cut back on her expensive luxuries. Trying to talk Victoria out of those was beyond the power of mere mortals. It's not like she could've possibly blown her whole allowance on gifts._ _

__"What about Brooke?" Victoria asked._ _

__I flinched. Brooke's name had come to mind for me too, but I had wanted to keep that card in reserve. Brooke was a prickly person at the best of times, and if Victoria was about to get a paper from her, then odds were low that I'd be able to get her to help me with the Dana-Kate situation. Oh yeah, that was still knocking around in the back of my head. "Maybe? But if money isn't an option, what could you give her that she would want?"_ _

__"That's usually your job to figure out, T," Victoria said disapprovingly. "Everyone wants something. So figure out what it is, then get it for her. We need this shit figured out as soon as possible." She shrugged my hand off of her back. "Get going, I have studying to do." By which she meant she needed to call Nathan and cry into his shoulder. However well things went between her and Max, she still had a mask to keep up around her girlfriend, playing at the reformed bully. Nathan and I were the lucky ones who got to see her really bitchy side. Hooray for us._ _

__I sighed and nodded, standing and making my way out of the room. It was bad enough playing Cupid for one set of friends. Having the other set implode and sending me on new crazy errands was only going to make things more complicated. And I still had my own exams to study for and homework to do. Fuuuuuuuuck._ _

__Once in the hall, I glanced down the corridor toward Courtney's door. It'd be so easy to knock and try to comfort her... and risk Victoria's wrath. Victoria had enough dirt on both of us to bury our social lives six feet deep. She was ready to pull the trigger on Courtney, and I wasn't about to take the chance that I'd get the second barrel._ _

__So I walked on down out of the dorm and into the rain. Like the fucking coward I am._ _

__***_ _

__Finding Brooke was a lot harder than finding Juliet. She spent most of her time with other science nerds, a tribe whose stomping grounds were unfamiliar to me. Most of the school building was locked off on the weekend, but the library was left open, and someone there had seen Brooke that morning. That sent me off on a trail of clues that led me to a small, dingy store on the edge of town. A poster of a woman in a skin-tight dress with glowing hands looked out onto the street, and several brightly-colored logos hung around her in the window, a disturbing number of which had "war" or "battle" somewhere in their name._ _

__A fucking game store. Of course that's where Brooke liked to hang out._ _

__I pushed my way in through the front door, shaking off my umbrella before stepping in. The store looked just as gloomy on the inside as the outside, and a faint moldy smell lingered in my nose. Shelves were lined with all kinds of nerdy detritus, the bulk of which looked like complicated board games. A back wall was covered with thick hardback books, and the front counter seemed dedicated to brightly-colored foil card packs. I was more familiar with this shit than I'd like to be thanks to an unusually dorky younger cousin, but that didn't make the place feel any more pleasant._ _

__It didn't help that the handful of people in the shop looked at me like I was a unicorn. They were mostly guys, at least half with glasses, most of them heavy-set, and almost all of them with scruffy beards. They sat around grungy folding tables playing card games. A few women were scattered among them, all of them way older and way more nerdy-looking than me. The only girl there around my age was a round-faced young woman behind the counter, who put on a fake smile and peered out at me from behind big thick glasses. "Hiya! Can I help you find something?"_ _

__I surveyed the store again, keeping my face strictly neutral. The counter girl had colored streaks in her hair, but not the ones I was looking for. "I'm here to talk to Brooke Scott. Asian girl, about yay high, square glasses, red streaks in her hair. Is she still around?"_ _

__"Oh, Brooke? She's in one of the RPG rooms, around the corner." The girl pointed helpfully. "But they're private, so— hey, wait!"_ _

__I ignored her entirely, following her guidance to a hall with several small rooms attached. Honestly, "room" may be too generous a word for them; they were more like modified closets. One was closed, and without ceremony, I opened it to find Brooke hunched over a laptop, techno music quietly filling the space. She looked up, startled, just as the employee made it to me._ _

__The salesgirl huffed a little as she took my arm. "Sorry, Brooke, I tried to tell her that these rooms are private, but—"_ _

__I shook her off, leaving her in clear distress; poor girl clearly wasn't used to customers just ignoring her. I looked straight into Brooke's eyes and said, "I have business to discuss with you."_ _

__Brooke's glared suspiciously at me, then she turned and said, "It's okay, Patty, she can stay."_ _

__Patty's eyes flicked between me and Brooke nervously for a moment, before she nodded and stepped out, closing the door behind her. I took a seat across from Brooke, crossing my legs primly. "So it looks like I've found your usual stomping grounds, huh? Victoria would be proud of that queenly display."_ _

__Brooke folded her arms. "Shut it. It's quiet here, and I run enough events that I can get a private study space whenever I want. So what do you want? Can't have been easy to find me here; are you looking to creep on my like you were on Dana?"_ _

__"I wasn't—" I cut myself off and took a breath. "Fuck it, that's not important. Like I said, I have business to discuss with you. How's your homework load looking this week?"_ _

__"Fine...?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "It's finals, but I can ace most of my tests with my eyes closed. I just need to bone up on my German classes. Languages are fuckin' hard."_ _

__"You're taking German?" I said in surprise. "Huh, expected you to be in a Mandarin class."_ _

__"Oh?" Brooke said, her jaw visibly clenching. "Why, because I'm Asian?"_ _

__"What? No, because you're a computer nerd, and a bunch of new computer shit is happening in China these days. Isn't it?"_ _

__"Oh." Brooke's shoulders relaxed a little. "Yeah, but I found German more interesting. And Mandarin is even harder to learn."_ _

__"That makes sense." I nodded, and for a moment, the atmosphere seemed almost friendly. Like I wasn't crawling around a dank nerd-dungeon to talk the queen nerd into doing me some favors. "So if you have the time this week, I was hoping you'd be interested in doing a small... job for me."_ _

__"Are you asking me to hack into Blackwell's servers to change your grades? Because I don't know what anyone told you, but I don't do that shit anymore."_ _

___Anymore?_ I shook my head, not least to get the question out of my head before it could fully form. Out loud, I said, "No, nothing quite that extreme. But I have a friend with a big chemistry project due by Friday, and no time to do it. I was hoping you might be willing to take up the burden."_ _

__"You want me to do Victoria Chase's science homework for her? Why the fuck would I want to do that? And what happened to the airhead she usually gets to do her work?" Brooke leaned back, fixing me with an almost pitying look._ _

__I grimaced. Of course she figured out whose homework needed doing. Brooke was many things, but she wasn't dumb. The crack at Courtney's expense particularly stung after how the girl had been treated earlier. "There were, uh, complications. You'd be compensated, of course. You just need to name your price; I'm sure we can come to an arrangement."_ _

__"You sound like a businessman," she said. Well, she wasn't wrong; like I said, most of my negotiating skills were learned from my dad. "Anyway, Victoria doesn't have anything I want. I don't need her money or any favors from her Vortex Club nimrods. Really, watching her squirm this week is probably the best thing she could do for me." Brooke smiled cruelly at me. "Got anything that can top that?"_ _

__Damn, and I thought Victoria was a stone-cold bitch. My mind raced as I stared into Brooke's dark, angry eyes, summoning up everything I knew about her. Brooke was a cold, abrasive person to almost everyone. She wasn't unkind, exactly, but she just didn't go out of her way to ingratiate herself to people. And she really, deeply hated the Vortex Club, even more than most Blackwell students that were barred from its parties. She had a point, there wasn't much that Victoria had to offer her._ _

__People around Victoria, though..._ _

__"Warren Graham."_ _

__Brooke's smirk broke. "What about him?"_ _

__My mind raced to keep up with my mouth. "You're interested in him. Fuck if I know why, but I'm not, like, judging. But he's still hung up on Max, despite her already being in a sickeningly happy relationship, and he won't give you the time of day. That sound about right?"_ _

__"Get to the point." I had struck a nerve. Good._ _

__"What if I could break his interest in Max? Make sure she, like, breaks his heart, so he's left vulnerable for you to jump in and sweep him off his feet? You can get your dorky nerd boy, Max and Victoria get Warren off their backs, and Victoria gets her paper done. Everyone wins."_ _

__Brooke was quiet for a long time, just watching me. I did my best to exude confidence in this plan. If it were entirely up to me, getting Warren to fuck off would be easy. But Max was too damn nice, and kept trying to let him down easy. That's why she was stuck with him in the first place; a little bit of harshness, and he'd be gone. The difficult part would be getting Max to go along with the plan. She didn't have a mean bone to her name (considering you could basically see every bone in her scrawny hipster body, it was easy to check), and she still called Warren her friend, so arranging things would be easier said than done. But Brooke didn't need to know that._ _

__Finally, Brooke slowly nodded. "Fine. If you can get Warren off of Max's bony ass, I'll do Victoria's project for her. Just try to get it done by Wednesday so I can get the lab time I need, yeah? I'm not putting in a second of work until you've followed through on your end of the bargain."_ _

__"Deal." I reached out and shook her hand, my red nail polish contrasting her green in a way that reminded me of the Christmas colors Dana liked to wear._ _

__"All right, get out of here. _Ich möchte studieren._ "_ _

__"Huh?"_ _

__"It's German for 'fuck off so I can study'. Out!"_ _

__I rolled my eyes, gathering my purse and umbrella as I left. Jesus, what a fucking nerd._ _

__Once I was in my car, I pulled out my phone and checked my agenda. So now I had to convince Victoria to give Juliet an interview for the school newspaper; trick Logan into starting a feud with Hayden, Evan, and the skaters; convince Max to be enough of a bitch to Warren that he'd leave her alone; still help Kate get into Dana's good graces; and try to calm down the new Victoria-Courtney conflict before that bridge was burnt forever._ _

__By Friday._ _

__I have to ask, how the fuck do I keep getting into these messes?_ _


	4. Manipulation on a Monday

The sound of hard drumming slowly dragged me from my uneasy sleep. At first, I ignored it, dismissing the sound as another variation on the rain on my window. But then it came again—a distinct rapping coming from my door. Some dumb motherfucker was knocking at my door at... I glanced at my phone and groaned before climbing out of bed. I didn't make any pretense of looking more presentable. Anyone who would wake me up before seven-thirty in the morning deserved a face full of bed-head and anger.

I was already growling loudly as I ripped open the door, "There better be a fucking catastrophe going on, because if there isn't—" My voice died in my throat when I saw who was on the other side. Kate Marsh looked like a drowned rat, her hair pulled into a soggy ponytail that dripped down her back. An absurd clear plastic poncho covered a leaf green hoodie and light grey sweatpants, in what had clearly been a futile attempt to keep her dry. The outfit was completed by a huge smile shining out from Kate's face, despite her decidedly bedraggled appearance.

"Hi Taylor!" She said with way more chirp than anyone should be able to summon before eight. Kate was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. "I just got back from my first jog with Dana, and it went so well that I just had to talk to you about it!"

Scratch the 'practically'; Kate actually was just bouncing up and down in place. I followed her movements for a second, raising an eyebrow. "Goody for you. Why are you still in your wet clothes? And why are you bouncing like that?"

"Because if I stop moving, I'm pretty sure my legs will collapse," Kate answered cheerfully. "Can you help me?"

I rolled my eyes and grabbed her arm, dragging her down the hallway back to her room. By the time we got there, she was starting to shiver, her teeth chattering. I had to take her keys from her hand to slide it into the lock, because her hands were shaking too much to handle the job. Kate was just able to shuck the plastic poncho before she collapsed onto her bed.

"Fuck's sake, what did you do?" I asked as I went over to her closet and started rummaging. "How far did she make you jog?"

"I'm not s-s-s-sure. We j-j-j-jogged around c-c-campus and I k-k-k-kinda lost c-c-count." I moved over to hand Kate a set of dry pajamas (at least, I assumed they were pajamas; I'd certainly never seen her walking around campus in the flowery T-shirt) and a towel. She stared at me a moment, and when I gave her a puzzled look back, she quietly asked, "Sorry, c-c-can you t-t-t-turn around?"

"Huh? Uh, sure, I guess?" I shrugged and turned my back to her, focusing my attention on Alice, who was idly nibbling some pellets of food in her bowl. "Sorry, I'm so used to getting changed around Victoria and Courtney that I didn't realize you'd mind."

"It's all right," Kate said. Good, the shivering seemed to already be calming down; she wasn't stuttering as much. "I know I'm weird. I just feel strange changing around anyone that isn't family. I'm sorry."

I waved my hand over my shoulder. "Whatever, it's not a big deal. You don't have to apologize. People have weird shit they're uptight about. You should've seen Vic's reaction the one time I offered to drive her car."

Kate giggled, a sound like angels ringing bells. "Thanks. You can t-t-t-turn around now."

A fresh towel turban perched on Kate's head, and she was shrugging on an overshirt over her PJs. I was quite surprised by what I saw, and words came out of my mouth before my brain could stop them. "Dang, girl, you've got some curves hidden under the dowdy shit you usually wear." I immediately slapped a hand over my mouth as Kate started turning red. "Fuck, sorry, that probably doesn't help with the whole changing-around-people thing, does it?" All right, decent save, showing good concern-- "They're nice curves, though. You're actually pretty hot." Okay, what the FUCK, Taylor?

"Um. Thank you?" Kate squeaked out. We sat there for a few moments in awkward silence. Alice stared at me in judgment. I took a deep breath.

"I'm really sorry," I said, "I have no idea where that came from. It's too fucking early, I stayed up too late, and I guess my brain is running on pure stupidity now."

"It's all right," Kate said, shuffling a little. "I think I need some tea. Would you like some?"

"God yes." Anything that would get me to stop talking.

The first sip reminded me that I actually don't like tea very much. The second sip reminded me that I hate tea. The third sip reminded me that tea is the devil's piss, and how it could touch Kate's lips without the room bursting into flames was beyond me.

"How is it?" Kate asked, her entire existence radiating peace and contentment.

"It's good," I managed to choke out around another mouthful of infernal urine. I knew my history. I knew that tea was a big deal. Fortunes were made and lost on it. Wars were fought over it. People died for it.

The same was true of ground-up tiger penises. Between the two, I think I'd rather be ingesting the cat dick.

"So," I said, putting the mug down (hopefully to never touch it again), "it's story time. There's a shopping trip and a rainy morning jog for you to dish about. Come on, don't leave me hanging."

"I don't know, I'm not very good at telling stories," Kate said, shrinking down behind her mug. "And there's not much to tell, they were just... Nice days."

"Uh-uh." I shook my head. "I need details if I'm going to help with the wingmanning. I can't do much if I don't know what happened, right? Plus I'm a nosy bitch, and one of the conditions for my help is that you feed my hunger for gossip.”

Kate frowned a little at me. Did I say something wrong? Before I could ask, though, she sighed and nodded. "All right, just don't expect it to be very exciting."

"I don't expect excitement," I said with a grin. "I expect it to be cute as fuck."

She gave me a little pout (just confirming my expectations, really), then started the story.

***

_Dana and I met yesterday downtown to go shopping. The sky glowed silver from the sun filtering through the clouds, and a gentle rain was washing over the town. I love the rain; it's so calming and peaceful._

**Kate, you're fucking weird. Rain is awful.**

_Maybe I am, but I still like it. So Dana and I met early at a coffee shop she's familiar with; I guess a lot of the Vortex Club members like to hang out there?_

**No shit? If it's the one I'm thinking of, we just missed each other yesterday; I was out there with Vic and Max in the morning.**

_Oh, how neat! Well, we didn't stay long. We got some warm drinks, then set out to the shops. Dana was beautiful. I know she always tries to look her best, but it still felt like she had made a special effort for me; her makeup was immaculate, and I don't understand how she can make even a thick winter coat look like a fashion accessory._

**Careful, I think you're drooling.**

_Shush. She had a list of things she thought I would need. The clothes were obvious—a sweatshirt, sweatpants, shoes, a jacket. But I wasn't expecting the poncho, or the wristwatch, or the special socks._

_"It's a shame you picked the winter to start running," Dana said with a radiant smile. "All this rain is going to make it hard to keep up the habit."_

_"That's all right," I answered, "I like the rain. And really, I could stand to get outside more in winter."_

_"Good point," Dana answered. "Gotta get what sun you can, right? Just promise me you'll take it easy, all right? I don't want you getting sick."_

**Guess that went out the window right away, huh? You're still dripping, and not just from thinking about Dana's firm, supple—.**

_How do you even have such a dirty mind?_

**It's a gift.**

_More like my curse. Anyway, we were pretty quiet for a while after that. It's actually a little hard sometimes to talk with Dana. We come from such different places that common ground can be hard to find. I just don't know much about the things she likes. I did a little research into sports Saturday night, but everything flew right out of my head when Dana was standing right there._

**Stage fright? Cuuuuuuute.**

_Are you going to let me tell my story or not?_

**Fine, fine. So you had an awkward silence with Dana. I get that. Only so much small talk you can do with someone you see every day, right? So what'd you do to deal with it?**

_Well, we were getting my running clothes. You know what kind of clothes I wear; exercise outfits are a bit tighter than I'm entirely comfortable with. Dana looks good in lycra and spandex, but I think I just look lumpy and gross. I also can't get my mother's voice out of my head, about how... immodest tight clothing like that is._

**Holy shit, there is so much wrong with all that I don't even know where to start.**

_I think Dana agreed. I was looking at the drabber, more form-hiding clothing that the store had, and Dana kept bringing me more brightly-colored things that would just call attention to me. Finally I had to tell her about my qualms, and she just got this really serious look on her face. She took my hands in hers, looked me straight in the eyes, and said to me:_

_"Kate, you are a beautiful woman who owns her own body. You will rock anything you choose to wear, and no one has any right to give you—” uh, "—lip about it."_

**She didn't say 'lip', did she.**

_No she didn't. Anyway, she continued, "If you want to dress modestly, that's cool. If you want to go running around the school naked, that would also be cool, though give me some warning so I can prep a bailout plan, and maybe wait till summer. Do whatever you want, as long as you don't hurt anyone else or yourself. And don't let your mother or whoever make you do otherwise. All I ask right now is that you pick something with at least some color to it; I don't want you getting hit by a car."_

**Hell of a speech. I also find it hilarious that Dana is pro-streaking. I assume you had to pick up a change of panties after that?**

_Taylor!_

**What? You're going to tell me that Dana getting all feminist mama-bear doesn't do it for you?**

_That's... not the point. Oh, don't you grin at me!_

_Anyway!_

_After that, things became easier between us, and we settled on a few outfits. Dana was so sweet and complimentary. After I tried on one or two of the brighter outfits, she said that earth tones suited me best, so that's what we stuck with--though I have to promise to wear something brightly colored if I go jogging near roads, even if it's just a ribbon in my hair._

**Oooooh, that sounds adorable. You better take pictures; I want to see what you look like with a big floppy red bow on your head.**

_Hmmph. If you behave yourself, I'll consider it._

**Ma'am, yes, ma'am!**

_That's not behaving yourself!_

_We went to get lunch at a French cafe that Max and I have visited a few times. They had good, thick soup to warm us up after walking around outside all day, and a wonderful tea selection. Things were quiet between us again; we didn't talk about much except incidental schoolwork. But then we got on the topic of jogging paths, and Dana started talking with passion about all the natural sights to be found in Arcadia Bay._

_"I'm a little surprised," I said. "I didn't realize you were such a nature lover."_

_She stopped and actually looked a little embarrassed. "Uh, yeah, I don't talk about it much, but I like the outdoors. In the morning when no one else is around, it's just you and the world, you know? You can pretend that there's no drama or hardship or heartache for a little while, and just enjoy things. Sometimes I carry peanuts to feed to the squirrels on my route."_

_I couldn't help giggling at the mental image. "That's so sweet. I've never been completely comfortable in the woods around here; they're a little creepy, honestly. But if you're there to tame them with peanuts, then maybe I wouldn't mind exploring them a little more."_

**Smooth.**

_I thought so. Dana looked surprised, though. "Creepy? Huh, I always thought the woods around here were calming. They're just really... alive, y'know? Full of animals and history and—well, just full of life." She sighed. "Sometimes I wish I had your drawing ability. Maybe then I could capture the woods the way I've always seen them and share it with you and everyone else that thinks they're spooky."_

_Heaven help me, I couldn't help blushing and looking down into my soup. "I'm not that good an artist, really. I just draw little doodles."_

**Okay, what? No, Kate, you're--**

_Have patience, Taylor. Dana reacted the same way._

_She leaned across the table toward me and took my hand again, wrapping it in both of hers. "No way! I love your art. It's so vibrant and alive, and you really capture the spirit of your characters. I can feel your love for the animals you draw and the stories you tell about them, and you're great at getting your message across."_

_I turned even more red, but I couldn't look away from her. "Th-thank you," I stuttered. "But there are so many great artists at the school. And you're no slouch either! You're a wonderful actor, and I've seen your dancing. It's—" I had to bite my tongue before I said something I would regret. "Everything you said of me, I can say about you, your characters, and your performances."_

_"You're sweet." Dana gave me a little smile, then turned to look wistfully out the window at the steady rain. "What we do is different, though. You create something real and permanent and_ yours _. All I do is take someone else's words and routines and mimic them. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but it feels like I'm just screwing around while you're doing something really important."_

**Dana said that? Dang, that sounds really gloomy for her. Must've been the weather.**

_I thought the weather was lovely. But you're right, it seemed out of place. Dana and I had never really talked about something that felt this serious or important to her._

**Yeah, I can see how, like, the philosophy and value of art wouldn't be a common topic of conversation. Even at this school.**

_Exactly. It took me a little while to form a response. "The funny thing is," I said, "sometimes, I think the same thing about my work. That I'm sitting and doodling, copying the great artists of the past and doing a bad job of it, while you're out setting the world on fire with... Well, just your body. I use paint and pencil and charcoal to make my art, but you don't need those tools. Your feet and your voice are all you need to make art. And it's beautiful art, and it's important, Dana. Your performances are inspirational, and no one else could do them. Every line, every movement is a Dana Ward original masterpiece."_

**Holy shit, you said all that? You eloquent motherfucker.**

_Well... The actual speech may have been a little less smooth. A few more 'ums' and 'uhs' than I would have liked. But I think I got my point across, because Dana gave me the most dazzling smile I've ever seen. She stood up, right in the middle of the cafe, and walked around, leaning over to give me a huge hug. "Kate," she said, "you're a... effing treasure."_

**'Effing'?**

_I don't like cursing, even when I'm quoting someone else. Anyway, she sat back down and we kept talking. It's hard to describe, really; we just mentioned anything that came to mind. I learned a lot about Dana, really. Did you know that she volunteers at the animal shelter?_

**Huh. I didn't, but I can totally see it. Girl's got some real animal magnetism.**

_...That was awful._

**Thanks, I try.**

_After lunch, we spent the afternoon walking around downtown looking at other shops. I didn't really need anything, but Dana was in a good mood and it was infectious, so I bought more than I probably should have. I also took the opportunity to do some last-minute Christmas shopping. We rode the bus back to school together. We didn't talk much on the ride, but it was fine. The quiet was... comfortable._

**I'm proud of you, grasshopper. You're well on your way to flirting with all the babes. Any illicit late-night meetings to excite and titillate?**

_Wha-- of course not! I actually went to bed early so I could meet with Dana early this morning. Though I actually had a little trouble sleeping..._

**Thoughts of leggy cheerleaders dancing through your dreams? Yeah, I get that.**

_Uh, n-no...?_

**Holy fuck, you're an awful liar.**

_Stop laughing!_

**Stop being hilarious!**

_Well fine, if you didn't want to hear the story..._

**Ah shit, don't be like that. Okay, okay, I'm calm. Given that you woke me up at ass-o'-clock this morning, you must have gotten up even earlier.**

_It was early, but it wasn't that bad. I was a little nervous about going jogging, since the sun hadn't even risen yet, but Dana was gung-ho about it. She said that it was the perfect time—no one else was around, so it would just be us and the morning fog. Well, and the rain._

**That explains the silly poncho.**

_Yeah, that wasn't quite as effective as I would have liked. We went all around campus. It looked so strange in the dark. You can probably guess that I don't go out much at night, so I'm not used to seeing the school empty of people. Dana is really fast, but I could tell that she slowed down so that I could keep up. She also talked the whole time, telling me about the route and the school. She knows a lot about Blackwell's history; there's a lot that's happened here since the settlers first showed up. I wasn't much of a conversational partner, I'm afraid. I didn't have enough breath. By our second lap, the sun was starting to come up, and she started pointing out interesting sights. Of course, by the third lap—_

**Wait, you did three laps of the school grounds?**

_Uh, four, actually. I think; it all started to kind of blur together._

**Holy fuck. In the rain? No wonder you were exhausted, this campus is huge. I know you like the girl, but damn, don't push yourself too hard.**

_Dana was worried too. I told her not to worry, but, uh, that may have been a mistake. My legs seem to have gone numb. I might have overdone it. I just didn't want my time with Dana to end._

**It's kind of sweet, in a dumb way. Try not to get yourself killed. It's hard to date a girl when you're dead. Unless you're a vampire. Dana might be into that, actually.**

_But then I'd have trouble wearing my necklace, and that would be awful. We finished out fourth lap and came back to school, Dana went to the shower, and I knocked on your door. And then here we are._

***

I stretched as Kate sipped on her tea, apparently parched from the chatter. "I'm not disappointed," I said. "That was, in fact, cute as fuck."

"I'm glad you find my life so entertaining," she answered, but she had a distant, dreamy smile on her face. "I don't know if any of this is helping to date Dana, but I definitely feel like I'm getting to know her better, and I'm glad for that opportunity. Thank you so much for helping me."

"I ain't done shit yet," I said. "I just gave you a little push. So far, everything is your doing. You're just a natural born lady-slayer."

"Oh yes, parents across Oregon are locking up their daughters for fear that I'll steal their virtue," Kate said with a dorky little snort.

"Can't steal what they're giving you for free." I grinned, then jumped and cursed as my phone started going off. "Fuck, that's my alarm to wake up. God, Kate, I'm losing too much beauty sleep over you."

Kate, bless her heart, actually looked guilty. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking about how early it is. And you already stayed up late Friday night helping me..."

"Whoa, whoa, don't worry about it; I'm just giving you shit," I said, waving my hand. "I've already made up for it." A small lie; Saturday night was spent studying, working on papers, and drawing to procrastinate from studying and working on papers, and Sunday night had been consumed by worrying about the Victoria-Courtney situation. But I would be fine. Just needed more caffeine to get me through the week.

"Anyway," I continued before Kate could object, "I need to get ready. It's finals, after all, I have tests to take, and I can't tackle them without my war paint. I bet you have tests too. Just keep on keeping on, all right? You're sweet; Dana will like that. And I can do the movie night whenever, so just let me know."

"Okay," Kate said. She didn't seem entirely over the whole 'denying Taylor sleep' thing, but she was getting there. "Thank you again for all your help."

"Sure. Just promise me that when you do finally ravish the lovely Ms. Ward, you'll give me all the juicy details." I grinned at her blush, blew her an exaggerated kiss, and strolled on out of the bedroom.

As soon as I was out of the door, my posture sagged. Fuck me, I WAS tired. But there was nothing to do about it now. I started back to my room. I still had to shower, get on my makeup, ace some tests, keep my friends' conflict from getting any worse, and distract Kate's many rivals. Sleep could wait until after my funeral. Which hopefully wouldn't be anytime soon.

***

It's not actually that hard to manipulate the social fabric of a small community like a private school. You need two things: accurate knowledge of who everyone is and what their ever-fluctuating connections currently are (this was usually my job), and the ability to see the weak spots and loose threads that, when pulled, let you change the social landscape a mile down the line. The latter is where Victoria excelled; give her enough information, and she can use a single coy look to shatter and remake social relationships across the school.

One of the keys is not to be too direct. If I walked up to Logan and told him to his face, "I think Hayden and Evan are trying to get it on with Dana," he wouldn't believe me. He'd assume I had some kind of agenda (which, to be fair, I did) and tell me to go fuck myself. Maybe whatever I told him would linger in the back of his head, but it would be tainted by his suspicion. I would also be screwing myself if I needed to mess with him in the future.

That's why I wasn't looking for Logan in the school hallways after my exam. No, I needed a thread connected to the meathead from a distance, and I knew exactly who that was.

I found my target loitering near the girl's bathroom, checking his phone. Zachary was rarely alone for long, and I would bet good money that he was waiting for Juliet. That meant I only had a limited window to chat with him alone. Go time.

I put on my best sunny smile as I strode up and leaned against the wall next to him. "Hey, Zach! It's been a while since we talked, hasn't it?"

He looked up, startled. "Uh, hey Taylor. Yeah, I guess? What's up?"

"I dunno, just wanted to shoot the shit, see how you were doing. How're finals going?"

We had a few minutes of meaningless chatter. One unfortunate side effect of being in charge of the school's social hierarchy is that people knew about it, so they were always suspicious when I walked up to talk to them. Zach was no exception, and our small talk had a definite air of "What do you want this time?" to it, but he had a fatal flaw that made him easy to manipulate: He had a thing for blondes. A cocked eyebrow, a flirty smile, and arms folded under my boobs, and he was quickly too distracted to be wary. That's why Zach was one of my favorite patsies for social manipulation, despite the danger of crossing Juliet (who hopefully was going to take a long time in the shitter).

With Juliet in mind, I cut to the chase a little sooner than I would prefer. "Oh my God, have you seen what Dana's been up to lately?" I asked in a conspiratorial whisper. Guys like to think that they're above gossiping, but they're just as bad as girls. They love talking shit and knowing secrets.

I could see Zach struggle to pretend he wasn't intrigued, but the way he leaned in and lowered his voice gave him away. "What is it this time? Something going on with her fucktoy Trevor?"

"No, she may be in the market for new fucktoys," I said, trying not to show my struggle to get the words out. "She's been getting pretty friendly with Evan lately. Keeps talking about 'special photo sessions' with him. And I heard Hayden say that he and his girls were meeting up with Dana for a 'private party'."

"Fuckin' figures," Zach said with a snort. "God, what a slut."

For a split second, I almost forgot myself and decked him. My hand gripped my jeans hard as my stomach flip-flopped. Dana didn't deserve to have yet another ugly rumor started about her, but it was for the greater good. Logan needed to be distracted, and this was the way to do it. Dana would benefit when she was safe in Kate's gentle embrace.

That didn't make it easier to listen to Zach badmouthing her, though. Especially when he followed up with, "I'm surprised she's getting it on with Evan, though. I always thought he was kind of a fag." God, Zach was a fucking asshole.

Somehow, I forced on a fierce grin and said, "Would it even matter to Dana? Logan, Trevor, now Evan and Hayden... Girl's got a hunger, and I guess sausage is on the menu." Zach laughed, I faked a laugh, and I silently hated myself.

The bathroom door squeaked as it opened, giving me just enough warning to step back from Zach as Juliet stepped out. She looked at me in surprise, and with no small amount of suspicion. "Taylor. What's up?"

"Nothing much," I answered with a shrug, trying to look innocent. "Just hanging out before going back to studying."

"All right..." Juliet answered, her eyes narrowed. She stepped over and slipped herself under Zachary's arm, wrapping her arms around his waist. Jesus, the girl was clingy. "How's that thing I asked you about coming along?"

I flinched a little. Fuck, right, I still needed to get Victoria to sit down for an interview, something she probably wouldn't want to do while the Courtney situation was still smoldering. "Working on it. Some stuff's come up that might complicate things. I'll let you know."

"Sure. The sooner the better." Juliet stared me in the eye for a moment longer, her expression promising a thousand tortures if I crossed her, before she broke eye contact and started leading an oblivious Zach off. "Come on, babe, I think I saw some mistletoe down the hall. The school's asking us to make out in public, and who are we to say no...?"

I watched them go, shaking my head. A brief vision flashed in my mind's eye of Zach tied down to a bed, his legs braced against a block of wood while Juliet prepared a hammer. If he wasn't such an asshole, I might feel bad for him.

Hopefully the patsy would do his job. I had more work to do.

***

I wasn't able to pin down Max until that evening, when I caught her in her room nose deep in a history textbook. The girl was smarter than she gave herself credit for, but she had a bad habit of procrastinating on her schoolwork until the last minute. Therefore, she'd been a bit of a ghost lately as she crammed for her exams. This would only make addressing the Warren issue harder, but it needed to be done.

Max jumped when I knocked on her door frame, peering through the semi-opened doorway. Gentle acoustic guitar music flowed out of the gap around me, past the slightly faded Kate Marsh original doodle of a little doe in a hoodie with a camera on the door slate. Max was in her pajamas, clearly settled in for the night, a knit blanket over her legs and a mug of steaming tea on the nightstand next to her.

"Hey, Max," I said, "can I talk to you for a minute? It'll be really quick, I promise."

Max looked torn, glancing between me and her book. Clearly she felt like she needed her study time, but she didn't want to be rude by sending me away. Normally, I would be sympathetic to her plight, but I _really_ needed to talk to her right then. So I forced the issue by pushing my way through the door, closing it behind me. She didn't have any choice but to put on an uneasy smile and say, "Sure, come one in, Taylor. Have a seat, I'm not... _that_ busy."

"Thanks." I pulled out her desk chair and sat in it backward, leaning against the seat back to look her in the eye. I had been thinking about this next step all day, but I still wasn't sure about the best way to proceed. I would have to carefully watch Max's reactions and very cautiously avoid talking about anything unexpected.

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask you," Max said, breaking my train of thought, "did something happen with Victoria? She couldn't get in touch with her last night, and she seemed really stressed out today. I asked her about it, but she didn't want to say anything."

"Uh." My mouth flopped uselessly for a moment. Shit, of course Max would notice her girlfriend's mood. And neither Vic nor I could just come out and say, "She's pissed at Courtney for not doing her homework for her.: It wasn't my place to spill what remained of Victoria's dirty laundry for Max. So I stared uselessly for a second, scrambling to think of some reasonable explanation. "Uh, she... she's just having school trouble. You know. Exams and all that." Technically true, without getting into the sordid details. Nice job, Taylor.

"Okay..." Max's expression resembled a small animal that had just discovered a discarded snake's skin near its nest. "Are you sure that's it? She's not, I dunno, mad at me or anything, is she?"

"Huh?" Where did that come from? "No...? Why would she be mad at you?" Victoria had a lot of anger, and a lot of it used to be directed at Max. But since they got together and started talking like regular people, that had basically all gone away. Why would Max think otherwise?

"Well, I blew you guys off yesterday to go talk to Chloe." She sagged where she sat, thumbs flicking at the pages of her book. "You know how Victoria can get kinda jealous, and she keeps insisting that I had a crush on Chloe—which I totally did not, by the way." Max was looking down and away, so she probably didn't catch the flicker of a skeptical look across my face. I'm pretty sure Max had some kind of crush on, like, half the girls she met. Thankfully not me. Hopefully not me? That would be awkward. She continued, "So I was just worried that maybe I upset her, and that's why she's been in a mood."

I shook my head. "Nah, don't worry your shaggy little head." As Max pouted and reached up to her hair, I continued, "Victoria gets you and Chloe. Way she sees it, you're kinda like her and Nathan. You've known each other forever, and you're always there for each other. If Nathan, like, took off for a few months, Victoria would be Skyping the shit out of him whenever she had the chance. So don't fuss; she gets it, and she's not jealous of what you have with Chloe." Well, not _that _jealous, anyway. Victoria might claim some kind of superiority, but she was only human. "It really is just stress that's bugging her right now. It'll get sorted out soon, I promise, and then you'll have your tsundere ice queen back."__

__Max's eyebrows shot up. "How do you know that word? I didn't think you were into anime."_ _

__"I'm not," I said, old mental scars itching at the back of my head. "But Vic used to make me watch it a lot. She's kinda stopped since you became her TV buddy, and for that, you have my eternal fucking gratitude. ...Though I do kinda like Ghibli's stuff, I guess."_ _

__"Well yeah, everyone does," Max said, smiling. She sat back, clearly much more at ease, and set her textbook aside with a Polaroid selfie of her and Victoria as a bookmark. "Sorry about dumping all that on you. So what did you need to talk about?"_ _

__Ah, shit, right, I had an actual reason for being here. "Oh yeah. So, uh, I heard that you were, like, still having Warren troubles?"_ _

__"Oh God, did Victoria tell you about that?" Max sighed. "He's not that bad, really, he's just... Worried about me, I guess. Because of how Victoria used to be, y'know? I guess he thinks that she's using me, or playing some kind of really elaborate prank. I tried telling him that I'm a big girl and that everything is fine, but he worries. Because he cares."_ _

__I crossed my arms and gave Max a level stare. "The boy has it bad for you. You know that, right?"_ _

__She flinched and looked away. "Yeah, I know. But he hasn't been that bad about it! He's a nice guy, really!"_ _

__"I bet." Gotta love the Nice Guy—a title that always seemed to stick to dickheads who can't just accept a 'no', or who can't even summon the balls to risk getting a 'no'. "I hate to be the one to tell you this, but with a guy like Warren, the more you try to let him down easy, the more he thinks that you're being nice to him because you're into him. The only way he'll get off your case for good is if you rip off the bandage and tell him to his face to fuck off."_ _

__Max frowned and folded her arms. Shit, defensive body language, bad sign. "Victoria said the same thing, but I don't want to do that. He doesn't deserve to get his heart torn out. Even if he did, I don't want to be the one to do it; that's not who I am."_ _

__"He doesn't deserve it? Even though he keeps dogging after a girl in a committed relationship? Sounds like kind of a dick to me; maybe a little heartbreak will help teach him how to treat women." I kept talking, plowing through Max's hurried objection. I had to watch the candor; nothing good comes of being to honest about what you're thinking. "Anyway, this wouldn't just be for your sake. If you can break Warren's obsession with you, a lot of people would benefit."_ _

__Max's thin eyebrows came together. "What do you mean?"_ _

__I started ticking names off on my fingers. "Victoria wouldn't have to deal with Warren looking at her like a dragon he needs to slay. Brooke, who we both know totally has a thing for him for some reason, would finally have a chance with the nerdy boy of her dreams. I wouldn't have to deal with Victoria's bitching about the whole thing. Alyssa would applaud you, and you know how hard her approval is to get—"_ _

__"Wait, why would Alyssa care? I thought she and Warren were friends."_ _

__"Yeah, and sometimes your friends are the ones who most want you to get kicked in the ass. She's been telling him to move on for months, and I think if you gave him a shove, she'd appreciate it. Because I think Warren is the one who'd benefit most of all." I started waving my hands around in an attempt to explain my idea. "Right now, Warren is, like, stuck. He's frozen in limbo because he's all hung up on you, and he's never going to move on and grow until he gets unhung. Unhanged? Whatever, the point is, if you give him a shove, he'll move on and grow as a person. Maybe become less of a whiny fuckboy, or something. Like I said, it's ripping off a bandage. It hurts now, but it's good for you in the long run."_ _

__Max pulled her skinny legs up and hugged them, wresting her chin on her knees. She looked thoughtful, a look that fit her surprisingly well. In this light, I could almost see what Victoria found so attractive about her. ...Almost. Max still looked too much like a little boy for me, which was probably for the best. The last thing I needed was a vindictive Victoria at my back. Vindictoria? Fuck, I needed more sleep._ _

__"Isn't there some middle ground?" she asked. "All of Victoria's suggestions were really mean. I don't want to be mean to him. There has to be a way to get the idea across to him that I don't want to date him without ruining our friendship."_ _

__"I'm not sure that's possible." I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. "At this point, I think his idea of your friendship is so tied up in him wanting to bang you that they might be inseparable. Like, if he loses his interest in hooking up with you, he might also lose his interest in hanging out with you."_ _

__"That's awful!" Max said. "I don't want that to happen! I don't want to think that he's that... that shallow either."_ _

__"Is it shallow? I dunno, I think it's just how guys are sometimes. They get all focused on wanting to get in a girl's pants, and they stop paying attention to what they liked about her in the first place." I shrugged. "I've seen a lot of guys get caught up in the pursuit and become total dicks. Maybe it's just a teen thing."_ _

__Max peered out over her knees at me curiously. "Has that ever happened to you?"_ _

__"Huh?" I shook my head. "Nah, my last boyfriend and I weren't really friends before we got together. Or after, for that matter. He was a cute face, but kinda boring to hang out with. Also a total sad-sack in bed."_ _

__"Oh." Max actually looked embarrassed. What? It wasn't like I was telling her anything that was a big deal. "I, uh, I didn't know you'd... been with anyone."_ _

__"This was before I came to Blackwell. Not all of us entered as doe-eyed virgins like you and Kate." I grinned as Max spluttered, her face turning bright red. Admittedly, I was implying a lot more experience than I had. Todd and I had fooled around a little in the back of his car, sure, and it was boring and kind of lame. I lost interest in him pretty quick, and hadn't bothered dating since._ _

__I shoved those memories down and continued talking. "Anyway. The Warren situation. I'm not saying that you have to look him in the eye and tell him to go fuck himself. Though I maintain that it's the surest way to get him to back off. You just need to... talk to him. Be firm. Tell him that you don't appreciate him hounding after you, and that if he's not going to behave himself, then he's being a shit friend."_ _

__"I..." Max sighed, her eyes drifting back down. She was silent for a few minutes. I stayed quiet; sometimes, the best thing to do was let other people decide that they do, in fact, want the same thing as you. I occupied myself by looking at the photo collage on Max's wall. It really was pretty spectacular, full of her old selfies along with pictures of her friends and family. In one corner, blown up and neatly framed, was a picture of Victoria against a fiery sunset—the photo that won the two of them Mx. Dog's photography competition, the one that started their whole relationship. Shit, it really was a good shot._ _

__Max seemed to finally reach a decision. She unfolded and looked up at me, a steely resolve in her eyes. "All right, fine, I'll do it. I feel like I've been pretty firm with him before, but maybe it wasn't enough. I just need... another set of ears to tell me if it's enough." She took a shaky breath. "Taylor? Can you do me a favor? When I talk to Warren, can you be there with me? To make sure that I don't wuss out?"_ _

__My eyebrows shot up. This was unexpected. "Uh. Yeah, like, no problem. If you're sure you want me there, instead of Vic or Kate or someone." First Kate, now Max; since when was I the sturdy pillar to shore up everyone else's backbone? This was convenient, though; it meant that I could make sure Max followed through, and that Brooke's conditions were fulfilled. "When were you going to do it?"_ _

__"I'm not sure. Maybe Saturday, after exams are over?"_ _

__Uh-oh. "Maybe... it should be sooner?" I suggested, scrambling to think of a good reason. "You don't want this sitting in your stomach all week, right? And everyone is going to be so busy getting stuff sorted for the holidays, or even leaving early. Why not do it, like, tomorrow?"_ _

__"I have a lot of studying to do tomorrow. But you have a point." Max sighed. "Maybe Wednesday?"_ _

__"Sure. Just sooner is better than later, right?" Cutting it close, but it was within the deadline. All right, everything was coming up rosy._ _

__"Yeah." Max unfolded and stretched. "I guess thanks for talking with me, Taylor. You're... actually a pretty good friend. But I really do need to study. See you Wednesday? I'll text you."_ _

__"Of course." I put on a fake smile and stood. "You're making the right choice, Max."_ _

__I chewed on her words as I walked back to my room. 'A pretty good friend.' Well, I did really think this was the best way to solve Max and Victoria's Warren problem. I hadn't been lying; Warren would probably benefit from a good boot to the head. Everyone would win. That just included more people than Max thought. It was fine to shuffle her around like a pawn for that, right? A happy ending for everyone?_ _

__Everyone except Courtney, I guess. Shit. Yeah, I'm a 'pretty good friend' all right. The best fucking friend a girl could have._ _


	5. Interlude: Cameos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief break for some other views. What's a LiS story without Chloe?

**DANA**

I frowned at my computer screen, skimming along the several tabs of open Facebook pages. The site was a constant stream of notifications; with as many friends as I had, there was always someone sharing a selfie or liking a friend's posts or getting into some stupid political argument, and the algorithms loved to tell me about them. It was a fun diversion, and one that I probably spent too much time on.

But it was also a vessel for more important discussions, with people that I cared about more than a casual Facebook "friend". People like Kate.

At some point or another, I think I've actually met every student in Blackwell. I'm a social butterfly, and somehow I was able to tie myself into a lot of the groups across campus. From the Vortex Club to the skaters, from the volunteer groups to the jocks, even some of the science nerds thanks to Brooke, I had Blackwell pretty well surveyed.

Everyone is unique. Everyone is special. But even with that truth, Kate stood out as someone extraordinary.

"Holy shit, you have the biggest girl-boner for her," the voice on the other end of the phone said.

"Don't be gross, Rachel," I answered. "You've met her too. You know what I mean."

There was a pause. "Yeah," Rachel admitted, "I guess I do. I think everyone has someone that stands out like that. For me, it was Chloe."

I nodded, though obviously she couldn't see me. I'd known Rachel Amber for a couple of years. In that time, I'd never gotten close to her; no one had, except for Chloe and Max. But if I was a butterfly, Rachel was a migratory swarm. She flitted from group to group, making her way into their hearts without ever quite joining them. When she left for LA a few months before, we'd traded numbers and lied to each other about keeping in touch.

At least, I'd thought it was a lie. Then she gave me a call, then I gave her a call, and now a weekly phone call was just a part of our schedule.

"I'll be honest, I'm surprised you never got together with her," I said, bracing the cell phone against my shoulder as I went clicking around through random Facebook notifications. "She was totally in love with you."

"I know. I think that's why I never did. Fooling around, hooking up, that's one thing. Chloe wanted... more than that, and I couldn't give it to her. And she deserved more. Someone more solid, someone who knows who they are."

"I get that," I said. And I did. When Rachel was in Arcadia Bay, she'd always seemed distant and ethereal, almost a living ghost. No one else saw the different faces Rachel put on quite as well as I did. I saw how changeable she was, how she tailored her whole vibe depending on who she was talking to. To the rest of Blackwell, Rachel Amber was a free spirit who followed her own course. To me, she was an actor who'd forgotten who she was outside the role.

In other words, she was a kindred spirit.

Rachel forced a laugh over the phone. "Jeez, way to deflect, cheerleader. So come one, you were talking about Kate. What's going on with the bubbly Bible-cuddler?"

"I'm not sure. She asked me a couple of days ago about running with me in the mornings. I thought she would back down this morning when it was pouring out, at least wait until spring, but she went through with it. Now she's telling me that Max is acting all worried, and it's upsetting her."

"Hmm. Does she have any idea what Max is stressing about?"

I frowned as I typed, continuing the conversation with Kate. Technically, I could just go across the hall to talk to her, but sometimes Kate found it easier to really be honest remotely, without the pressure of talking face-to-face. Besides, this way I could hash things out with Rachel. "Something about Victoria being bitchy," I said as I read the response. Kate didn't put it that way, of course, but I could read between the lines.

"Wow, shock of shocks, huh?" Rachel said. "Kinda the risk of the territory there."

"Yeah, I guess. Jesus, I wish she didn't hang out with Victoria's posse." Especially given the news in another Facebook conversation. Brooke was one of those unusual friends I'd picked up, and she'd given me a friendly warning about Taylor lurking around my room when I was talking to Kate. I'd been wondering when she had time to draw that awesome whiteboard sketch...

"I still have to laugh my ass off at you, of all people, calling on Jesus," Rachel teased, throwing me off of my thoughts about Taylor. "Are you still hanging out with Ms. Grant's group?"

"Yeah, sure, sometimes," I said uneasily. She had a point, but old habits die hard. This was also a particularly weird thing to talk with Rachel about. "Don't get off topic. I have a worried friend here."

"Yeah, yeah. I don't think there's much Kate can do. Whatever's going on with Max and Victoria, that's between them. All Kate can do is be a friend."

"Sage advice," I said, relaying the message with my fingers. "Very responsible. Who would've thought it'd come Blackwell's own party girl, Rachel Amber?"

"Hey, I'm sowing my wild oats," she said. "I'll have you know, I'm even quitting smoking."

"No way!"

"Well... Cutting back at least. No one's said anything, but every time I light up the Californians make faces at me. You know me, gotta keep blending in."

"And stand out at the same time."

"What can I say, it's a gift."

There was a pause. Then, I quietly asked, "How do you do it? I do half the shit you did, and I feel exhausted. Mingling with everyone, balancing all the cliques without losing yourself..."

"Hey, if you find out, let me know. I haven't seen a solid idea of 'myself' in years." Rachel's voice teased, but there was a soberness to it. "The answer is, don't. Don't be me. Be Dana. I like Dana."

"Thanks, Rach, but I'm not exactly sure who Dana is." Or if she was someone I liked myself.

"You probably know her more than I know Rachel Amber. You want to talk about someone who's more idea than person..."

I kinda knew what she meant. The Rachel Amber of Arcadia Bay? Who knew who that was? Not even Rachel knew that girl. But the Rachel Amber of LA... "Well, that's why you left, isn't it?" I asked. "Chance to start over, define yourself from the start? I dunno, you sound more satisfied with who you are now than you were a few months ago."

"...Maybe I am. It's weird to think about, huh? Maybe high school is just shit and you don't find out who you are until you're away from it."

"That's a thought that gets more comforting the closer I get to graduating," I said. "Though I still love the few real connections I have here. I'm a little scared to lose them, to be honest."

"Hey, I get that, but you won't lose them if you don't want to. I mean, look at us. We hardly talked at Blackwell, and now here we are chatting like old women."

I smiled. "Good point." I would never understand how this girl who was like a ghost in person solidified into someone real over the phone. Maybe she just didn't feel the need to wear a mask with me anymore—or, at least, the mask the wore she now was more like the face underneath than most. It was a sobering thought; that put me in pretty rarified company.

“You'd better hold on to your dear little Kate, too,” Rachel said, a teasing tone returning to her voice. “Who knows what'll happen to her without her mama bear there to protect her.”

“Oh shut up,” I harrumphed as Rachel laughed in my ear. A knock came from my door. "Ah shit, Juliet's here to study," I said, signing off my conversation with Kate and closing Facebook. "Talk to you next week?"

"Sure thing, Dana. Wouldn't miss it. Seeya, babe!"

I rolled my eyes as I hung up. Rachel would forever be a flirt. Kicking back, I went to the door and let my best friend in. "Happy Hannukah Eve," I told her with a grin.

"That's not how it works and you know it, your dork," she said, making a face as she bustled in. Juliet took my chair, spinning around to sit in it backward. "I know we're here to study, but we've got shit to discuss first. Have you done something to piss off Taylor?"

I frowned, sitting on my bed next to her. What, her again? "Not that I can think of. At least, not anytime recently. Why?"

"I just got off the phone with Zachary. Have I got some stories for you..."

**KATE**

I smiled at Dana's comforting message before closing the Facebook chat. She always knew how to make me feel better and put me at ease. I was still a little worried about Max, but Dana was right; every relationship had troubles, and she would be able to sort hers out with Victoria. They were too right for each other to do otherwise. That was clear to me now, even if it wasn't obvious to everyone else.

Speaking of non-obvious connections, right on schedule, a little chime came from my computer. I reached over and plugged in the simple headset I'd surreptitiously acquired, and answered the call, loading up the voice client. "Hi, Chloe!"

"'Sup, Katester!" the boistrous voice answered. "Come one, get loaded in. Let's do this thing!"

I chuckled, opening the MMO program. I never thought that I would enjoy this kind of game, and I'd told Chloe so when she tried to get me to join her. But she insisted, Max had made a pouty face to back her best friend up, and I gave it a shot. The game was surprisingly relaxing. Apparently, I was fulfilling a stereotype with my character, but I liked her; she was a priestess in a white robe, with blonde hair and delicately-pointed elf ears. If I was being honest, she was the kind of person I wish I could look like—tall and elegant, not a short dumpy girl with frizzy hair like me. I'm sure my mother would have choice things to say about the vanity of this character, and the sinful slothfulness of the whole game-playing experience, but I was reasonably certain that God wasn't nearly so judgmental as her.

Besides, I had much more serious sins to my name than playing a silly game.

The game world resolved in bright colors on my screen. It was a simple game, clearly based on more successful works in the genre. According to Choe, this one wasn't very good; but it was free to play, and that was the important part. Besides, the art was clean and cartoony and I kind of liked it. I wasn't very good at the game, but I didn't need to be. Chloe's avatar—a hulking barbarian woman with shaggy blue hair, the one unusual cosmetic that Chloe paid money for—waved at me, and we were off. Our pattern was well set; Chloe attacked monsters, and I kept her healed. Sometimes, Max would join us with her cute little dwarven mage character. But tonight, with finals looming, Chloe and I were on our own. Thankfully, I was ahead on my papers, and so I could afford the break. It was also a welcome distraction from the excitement and terror of what was happening with Dana.

"So how's school life treating you?" Chloe asked. "The rain driven you bonkers yet?"

"I like the rain," I answered, just as I'd told Taylor earlier. "Though I may have spent too long in it today..."

"Jeez, no kidding. You sound like you took up smoking. You all right?"

"I'm fine, just a little sick." I sniffled for effect. "I went running in the rain, and got a little more wet than I thought I would."

"Fuck, exercising is bad enough, but in winter? You must really want to get swol." Chloe snickered. "Man, that's a great fucking mental image. Kate the Barbarian? I dig it."

I could feel my cheeks growing warm; thank God she couldn't see me. "Oh hush, I just want to stay healthy." And get closer to Dana. But Chloe didn't need to know about that. I hurried to deflect the conversation away from me. "How's San Francisco?"

"I'm crashing in Berkeley right now, actually. It's pretty cool, but also super fucking weird? Like, there's tons of homeless people around here, but I think half of them are just students who are doing it for shiggles. Also, holy fuck are people hella pretentious around here."

"Really? Even compared to Blackwell? That's surprising," I said lightly as I hit buttons on the keyboard. Healing Chloe's character was a matter of routine for me now, requiring little real thought. "I remember you had some pretty choice things to say about that when you were here."

"I was a sweet summer child who didn't know what the fuck I was talking about," Chloe answered. "I hadn't seen shit until I heard philosophy students trying to out-snooty each other the nature of reality or some shit. Agh, I hate when these mobs run off. Get back here!"

I followed after Chloe as she went rampaging. I don't think most people would expect me to spend my free time talking with Chloe from hundreds of miles away—least of all me. But I got to know her through Max, and I could see why Max liked her so much. There was a certain lack of inhibition that I found enthralling, and Chloe's rough exterior hid an inner genius. When we met, I think she was wary with me, uncertain how to react to my faith. But different as we were, we grew on each other.

Chloe was also a beautiful woman. It said a lot about how far I'd come that I was able to acknowledge that so freely to myself. Much as Max's selfie wall was littered with photos of Chloe, my sketchbook held a few sketches inspired by her tattoos. She was magnetic.

"Okay, I think I got the loot I need," she said. "How about you, Kate? What's your quest status?"

"Um, well, I could use a few more drops..." I said. "But I can get them another time if you like."

"Hey, we're already here smashing shit, what's a few more?" Chloe's barbarian ran off again to attack some creatures. "But seriously Kate," she said, "how's the weather treating you? I know you like rain, but when it's gloomy and there's no sun... Well, that can fuck me up pretty bad."

"I've been all right," I said gently. "The exercise is supposed to help. My therapist says a good workout is chemically the same as a mild antidepressant."

"Yeah, except the pills don't leave you feeling like you got hit by a train. Except for the really fun ones." Chloe sighed. "Though I guess running's cheaper."

However different we were, this was something Chloe and I had in common. She didn't like talking about it, but I think talking about my troubles helped her deal with her own. Depression is never an easy topic to discuss, even less so for someone as worried about revealing her own vulnerabilities as Chloe.

"I've heard that the area around San Francisco is really cold," I said lightly. "Probably not so easy to find a time to run."

"Okay, no, so, weird thing—the Bay Area actually gets warmer in winter; summer is the cold time. Has something to do with the currents in the Pacific. Point is, it's actually a bit warmer than home down here. The real problem with running is all the fucking hills. I mean, some of the people I've crashed with go running on them, but they're crazy. Did you know Californians put avocado on fucking everything?"

I giggled as Chloe rambled. I don't know if she was finding some new meaning in life in California, but she certainly seemed to enjoy sharing stories. Sadly, I couldn't help interrupting her with a small coughing fit.

"You okay there, Kate-atostrophe?" Chloe asked. "I hope you're not overdoing it with the rain jogging."

"Maybe a little. I... had a running partner, which distracted me a little. But if I'm being honest..." I paused. This was something I hadn't discussed with Taylor. It wasn't really relevant to my time with Dana, but Chloe would understand. "Once I got into the rhythm of it, I didn't want to stop. I think I even started sprinting at some point. I just... felt like I had a lot of energy to burn off, you know? I was... angry." I sighed. "I don't even know why. It was fun, and I like my partner. I just felt like I needed to, I don't know, work my muscles and beat up the ground."

"...Nothing's really there making you mad, but you were still furious, huh?" Chloe said knowingly. "Boiling over, like you're about to fucking explode and if you don't do something you might tear yourself apart?"

"Exactly. You've felt like that before?"

"Sure, all the time. There's a reason Dani here is a rip-and-tear barbarian," she said, referring to her character. "The school counselor told me about it once. That irrational anger is a part of... y'know, what we have to deal with." Chloe sighed. "Wish I'd thought of running, honestly. Sounds a lot healthier than what I did."

"What did...?" I started before I realized how personal this was. Oh dear, this could be an incredibly sensitive topic.

"Mostly, I punched shit. Rachel and I used to hang out at a junkyard out of town, and it had a lot of cinderblocks for me to go all kung-fu newbie on. Still have some callouses on my hands. ...Sometimes I felt like I could just keep punching and shouting until there was nothing left to punch with. Needed Rachel to hold me back a few times."

I took a moment to ponder her words as I mechanically clicked fallen bad guys. Quietly, I said, "I know exactly what you mean. It... it scares me, sometimes, how angry I get."

"Yeah. Yeah, it's scary shit, isn't it? Way I see it... it's not necessarily bad? I dunno, you gotta find ways to temper it so you don't hurt yourself or the people you care about. But when some shit-sucking motherfucker starts fucking with the people you love, a little anger? Not such a bad thing to have on hand."

"Maybe for someone like you," I said. "I'm not brave enough to take advantage of it. I just crumble."

"Hey, I get that too. Took me years to become the punk ass-kicking machine I am now. I think you've got more iron to you than you think, Kate. The time you spend at the hospital? Takes guts; I couldn't fucking stand it, not in a million years. I'd be a mess in a week."

"That's..." I paused, thinking. I'd known a few other volunteers who expressed the same thought—who were so saddened by the kids in the children's ward that they couldn't stand to come back. Maybe Chloe had a point. "...I'll have to think about it."

"Fuck yeah, I'll take that as progress. Stay down motherfucker!" The latter was to another enemy sprite, this one bright red to show that it was more powerful than most. With a cry, the creatured collapsed, half its body disappearing into a hillside (the game had some serious issues with clipping graphics). "You got everything?"

"Yeah, let's go back to town."

The trip back took a few minutes of running. As we moved, another played bolted by on a dramatic-looking horse covered in barding. Chloe spat a curse after them. "Flashy asshole with their pay-to-win bullshit! I can't believe the fucking devs make you pay real money for a goddamned mount."

"Aren't the developers in the Bay Area? You might be able to visit and yell at them in person."

"Shit yeah, I'll go kick their asses myself. Fuckin' Kate-aclysm with the great ideas!" We laughed together at the idea. There was a pause, then Chloe asked, clearly trying to be nonchalant: "So, your running buddy. Anyone I know?"

"Oh dear Lord," I muttered. But honestly... I wanted to talk to someone about this. Taylor was doing her best, but I could tell she had a lot on her mind. Chloe was far away, and supportive, and unlikely to talk to anyone at Blackwell except Max. What was the harm? "Yeah, it was Dana. I'm hoping it'll be a regular thing."

"Dana Ward? The cheerleader? Dated Trevor? Tall, ripped as fuck, nice tits?"

"Chloe!" Not that I disagreed, but really!

"Hey, just getting my bearings. I had a couple of classes with her; gave me some eye candy when I was bored shitless. She seems cool, for a Vortex Club member."

"She's a sweetheart. We've been friends for a long time; she's really nice, and she's really smart, and you're right that she's really pretty. I've... been looking forward to spending more time with her."

"Wait. Waitwaitwaitwait." I sighed; Chloe's grin was practically audible through the headset. "Kate, are you trying to bag yourself this girl? Shit, should've known you had a real reason for running in the fucking rain."

I sighed. "I wouldn't put it like that, but... maybe a little..."

She practically cackled. "Oh, this is fucking great. First, welcome out of the closet; we've got cookies and shit out here. I thought you pinged my gaydar. Second, I like your ambition. First girlfriend, a total babe? Fuck yeah, aim high. Did you decide on this all by yourself, or do you have a wingman egging you on? I bet Max would help you out, but she's also a total dork, so I dunno how much she can do for you."

"I... Well." I hesitated. Did I really want to get into the gory details? ...If anyone would understand, it was Chloe, right? "It was my decision to actually do something about my... my crush, I guess. But I am getting help. Did you know that Taylor helped Max and Victoria get together?"

"Taylor, huh?" Chloe scoffed. "I should've known. Whatever Victoria does, her minion's going to help her out. I'm surprised she agreed to help you, though. Didn't she spend a while making your life hell?"

"Oh, she wasn't that bad," I said quickly. I mean, it certainly seemed bad at the time, but Taylor had been so sweet when she apologized and she'd done so much to make up for it since then... Chloe and Dana thought I was too forgiving, but I steadfastly refused to assume the worst of Taylor. "We've gotten kind of close over the last couple of months. Since you and Rachel left, Max and I have spent a lot more time with Victoria, Taylor, and Courtney."

"Jesus, two months away and everyone's getting it on with the devil. Should've known it'd happen when Max shacked up with her. Well, no accounting for taste." Chloe chuckled as her character talked to an NPC with an exclamation mark over his head. "At least your crush is on someone worth it. Can you imagine if you were lusting after Taylor?"

I chewed on the thought as I went about my own business, turning in my quest. Chloe obviously meant it as a joke, but it was an interesting thought. Me? And Taylor? It was true that she'd helped me a lot in the last few days, and I think I was starting to see a new side of her—a steadfast and loyal friend, who gave of herself for the people she cared about. Maybe too much of herself; the instinct for martyrdom was unsettlingly familiar. "Maybe that wouldn't be such a problem," I said aloud. "She's really not as bad as you think."

"Oh God, don't make me hurl. It was hard enough forcing down all that fucking avocado in the first place." Just to rub it in, even her avatar went into a little retching emote.

"Hmph." I looked up and pouted at Alice. She nibbled on a pellet, looking back at me with black eyes that I'm sure were sympathetic. "Alice likes Taylor. She's a good judge of character."

"Kate, Alice is a rabbit. She likes anyone that isn't trying to eat her."

"Didn't she bite you once?"

"Oh, right, I forgot about that. Alice is also an asshole. Got time for one more quest?"

I glanced at my phone and did some mental math. "Yeah, one more, I think. After that, I really need to get to bed."

"Awesome. I need to purge my mind of the thought of you getting together with Taylor, and the only cure is more bloodshed."

I rolled my eyes as I followed Chloe back out of town. The whole conversation was silly, anyway. I was, if I was being honest, totally besotted with Dana. Taylor wasn't interested in me, and I wasn't interested in her.

A silly idea.

...Why wouldn't it go away?


	6. Tuesday Most Turbulent

Even the Oregon sky can't supply a constant downpour. Sometimes it needs to take a break, walk around, stretch its legs, restock so it can start raining for real. Tuesday was one of those breaks, with no new water adding to the deep puddles that swamped the campus. The clouds still lay thick and heavy, though, promising more to come as soon as we let down our guard.

Courtney camped out in a corner of the cafeteria, hunched over a pile of textbooks, her food mostly forgotten to the side. The cafeteria was packed and noisy, with only a few students braving the break in the rain to wander around outside. But despite the crowds, the students left a noticeable blank space around Courtney. She was lost in her own little world, eyes frantic as they looked through her notes. Even if no one else knew the details of Courtney and Victoria's fight yet, they sensed that something was wrong, and it was best to steer clear of Victoria's posse until everything settled down.

Well, if no one else was going to pop the bubble, then I would. Screwing my courage to the sticking place, I strode on through and plopped down across the table from Courtney. Christ, she looked even worse up close. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she shook with the effort of trying not to cry. A ball of wadded-up tissues hinted at where she had failed. The hand holding her pen trembled, making her writing shaky. I had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn't getting much effective studying done. At a time like this, though, any hint at a normal routine was valuable.

She looked up in surprised when I sat, and narrowed her eyes at me. "What are you doing here? Has Victoria decided it's time to start fucking me?"

Oh God, phrasing. I held up my hands in a peace gesture. "Hey, chill, I'm here on my own. I just want to talk. Want to head somewhere a little more private?"

Courtney held her glare for a moment longer, then all the energy drained from her face and she just looked so, so tired. She packed up her books and we stepped out of the cafeteria, leaving the din behind us.

Just being seen with Courtney right now was a risk. Victoria was still pissed, and would be until I sorted out all the shit stressing her out. She might still take her anger out on me just for talking with Courtney. But I couldn't let my friend just dangle in the wind. Victoria's mood would pick up Wednesday when Brooke started the work, I was sure of it. So I rolled the dice, and hoped that this would give me some respite from my asshole conscience.

An awning over one of the school's back doors gave us a private place to chat. We sat for a few minutes, watching the rain fall. I saw the school security guard eye us for a moment, his horrible mustache practically twitching with suspicion, before wandering off. That's why I knew this place would be private; it was one of the most obvious places to sneak a cigarette, so the school kept a close eye on it, paradoxically making it the worst smoking spot around and a generally awkward place to hang out. But if all you needed to do was talk, then you knew that no students would intrude.

Shouldn't have thought about cigarettes. My fingers suddenly itched for one. Shit.

The awkward silence wasn't helping. Courtney sat slumped on the steps, staring into the shimmering puddle on the landing in front of her, and I stood with my arms folded against the railing. I got Courtney out here, but I wasn't sure what to say.

She took the initiative. "How long do I have until Victoria drops the hammer?" she asked, her voice kept studiously flat.

I sighed. "I don't know. I hope she won't. She's stressed because of the paper, but that's going to be sorted out tomorrow. Once it is, I think she'll chill out, she'll apologize to you, and we'll all be sorted out by the time the next semester starts. Everything will be back to the way it was before."

"Will it?" Courtney asked. I noticed then that her hand was clenched tight around the handle of her purse, her knuckles white and shaking. "I fucked up, Taylor. The only reason Victoria kept me around was so I could do her homework for her, because she's bad at math and science and I could help maintain her GPA. Now she won't rely on me. She's finding other people to do her work. She's not going to forget that. I'm done. Even if she doesn't crush me, my social life at this school is over."

"Hey, c'mon," I said half-heartedly, kneeling beside her. "It's not that bad, you'll be—"

"Don't you fucking say I'll be fine," she snapped at me, causing me to stumble back and fall on my butt. Courtney ignored my pained grumbles, starting to talk a mile a minute. "You don't understand. I'm not a nerd. I'm not. I'm a girly-girl. I like fashion and makeup and talking about boys and all that stereotypical shit. And that's fine. I also like science and math. I love it. That's who I am. That's what I'm good at. I'm a girly-girl scientist. I like it, I'm proud of it. But there's nowhere at the school for me." 

Tears started to overflow as she talked, hugging her knees. "I'm not one of the cool art kids. But I don't have friends with the science kids either. They call me an airhead, a bimbo, a slut, just because I like looking nice. All the girls in those classes are obsessed with pretending that they're guys, palling around with the nerd-bros. I don't fit in there. I'm too much of a nerd for the girls, too much of a girl for the nerds. Being with Victoria, doing her shit work for her, that was the only hope I had of finding a place to belong. And I fucked it up. I failed. I'm not getting it back. I was never really her friend, just her bitch. And I went along with it because I'm a fucking idiot and just wanted to find a place where I fit in. Even if that was under Victoria's heel."

Courtney stumbled to a halt, overwhelmed with sobs and the occasional hiccup. I carefully put a hand on her shoulder, and after a moment's hesitation, she curled into me and sobbed into my jacket while I awkwardly rubbed her back. We sat like that for a few minutes as I struggled to think of something to say.

The problem was, Courtney was basically right. If I was being honest with myself, Victoria was kind of shitty to her. Courtney had the fashion sense to hang with the Vortex Club, but something about her never quite clicked, never quite let her fit in. She always had the scent of someone trying too hard, and the cardinal sin of coolness was trying too hard. But Courtney was useful; she was earnest, she was efficient, and she would put up with whatever shit Victoria shoveled on her, as long as she got to be part of the posse. And Courtney was really, ridiculously, unfairly smart, a fact that Victoria...

"You know," I said aloud, "I think Victoria's jealous of you."

Courtney looked up at me, startled. "What?"

Ah shit, there I went again, my mouth racing out ahead of my brain. I would've liked to blame the sleep deprivation from another long night of studying, but really, it was just a constant problem for me. Fortunately, my brain had a lot of practice playing catch-up. "Victoria. I think that's why she's such a bitch to you sometimes. You're great at what you do, Courtney. You're one of the best organizers I've ever met, you're honest in a way that Vic and I can never be, and you're, like, crazy smart. Victoria plays at being the clever sophisticate, but you know how she is anytime math gets involved. I think she's jealous that you are who you are. She..." I hesitated, but Courtney needed to hear this, and if there was anyone I could trash-talk Victoria to, it was Courtney. "Victoria wishes she could be more like you. That she could actually be the person she always pretends to be. She acts like she's the natural queen, and that she raises us up. But she wouldn't be where she is if we weren't supporting her."

Courtney frowned and looked back down into the puddle. She'd stopped sobbing, at least. That was a good sign. I think. I went in for the clincher.

"Victoria _needs_ you, Courtney. We both know she's kind of a mess. She's dug herself into a hole with the science shit. She needs your organization. She needs your mathy smarts. She needs you as her friend. She's being a total bitch now, but she'll come around, and when she does, she'll just want everything to go back to the way it was. The same way I do."

Courtney was quiet for a moment, mulling over my words. "The way it was..." she said quietly, gazing into the puddle with a thousand-yard stare."

"Right," I said. "The three of us, ruling the school together. As friends."

"I told you, we were never really friends."

I frowned, a queasy feeling sneaking into my stomach. “Of course we were. I mean, Vic's shit at showing it, but she cares about you. And the two of us are friends, right?"

“Are we?” Courtney looked up and met my gaze. Her eyes were still red and watery, but there was more behind them—a spark of anger. “I was never Victoria's friend, just her lackey. But I thought that maybe you were actually my friend, Taylor. Someone who was just as scared of her as I was. But if that's true, why did I get stuck with the pile of homework while you got to hang out in her room? If I was _your_ friend, why did you just stand there as Victoria told me she would destroy me?”

Despite the cold air, I started to sweat as I heard an echo of my own thoughts from Courtney's lips. I shuffled a bit away from her on the step. "Come on, like, you saw her mood. If I'd said anything, I'd be on the shitlist too. It wasn't, like, anything personal," I weakly defended myself. 

Courtney looked away, shaking her head. “No. No, that's not right. You always got away with more than I did. Victoria relies on both of us, but she always leaned more on you. You could get away with calling her out on shit that I never could. You could've changed her mind, made her give me a break. But you left me. Just like she did.”

"Court, that's not—" I started, but Courtney stood, interrupting me.

"I don't blame you. Not really. Everyone just wants something from everyone else, right? Victoria needed a toady, and you needed someone under you on the hierarchy. You were always nicer about it, at least.” She shook her head. “I need to think about all of this.”

I stood up too, shoving down my own urge to cry as I reached out for her. “Come on, I wasn't using you, Courtney. I actually care about you. I'm a shitty friend, I know, but everything will be better soon. Vic will calm down. Things will go back to normal.”

"You don't get it!” Courtney snapped, whirling away from my hand. “I don't _want_ it to go back to normal! My life until yesterday sucked. It still sucks, but at least I have some fucking freedom now!” She stepped back, tears running from her eyes again. “I need to decide what my life is going to look like now. Not as Victoria's bitch. Not as your... your pet. As me. I'm sorry, Taylor, I need to go.” With that, she turned and pushed open the door to Blackwell practically sprinting out of sight before the door swung shut.

I sank down to sit on the steps and looked out at the gray campus. A cursory glance around revealed no mustachioed security guards, so I threw caution to the wind and pulled out a cigarette. My hands shook as I lit it and took a deep drag.

Well shit. That could have gone better.

***

I was still in a bit of a fugue as I went through the hall of Blackwell. Weariness dragged at my bones. Even I had to admit that I wasn't getting enough sleep lately, and what sleep I did get was disrupted by stress—both mine, and what I picked up second-hand from Victoria and my other friends. My conversation with Courtney probably meant another fitful night for me.

It didn't help that the clock was ticking for Kate. I'd heard the rumor that morning—that Dana and Trevor had broken up, though everyone had a different explanation for it. The fact that both people were still alive and attending Blackwell proved about half the stories wrong, but let it never be said that the student body let the truth get in the way of good gossip. 

The point is, the breakup was public knowledge, so Kate only had so much time to work her charming Christian magic before Dana was swamped.

That's why, despite wanting to just sit down somewhere and cry, I instead met with Max in a corner of the school hall. She was still worried about the Warren Situation, and blissfully unaware of why I'd decided to stick my big nose in her business. But she was also my spy for the skater bros and Daniel, and she had information to share. She was looking around nervously from her spot near the photography room. Despite her snooping ways, I doubted the CIA would be recruiting her anytime soon. The girl had no chill.

I leaned against a locker in front of her and glowered, folding my arms. "What do you got for me?"

Max jumped a little, then peered closely at my face. "Whoa, Taylor, you look terrible. Are you all right?"

"Gee, thanks Max." I rolled my eyes. "It's been a rough day, all right? Now tell me what you found out. News is getting around the school about Dana and Trevor, so we need to know what's up before anyone else makes a move."

"If you say so..." She frowned at me a moment more before pulling a thick book out of her satchel. It said "Journal" on the front, but most journals weren't stuffed to the gills with... _stuff_. As she flipped through the book, I caught glimpses of Polaroids, doodles, flyers, and was that a feather taped to a page? 

"Jesus," I said, "I didn't realize you were into scrapbooking."

"I like having mementos to go along with what I write down. It helps me remember things. Here we are." She held the book open at the last page with writing on it. "Okay, so I got a chance to talk with Justin and Trevor this morning. I guess with the break in the weather, they took the opportunity to do what little skating they could; it was actually pretty cool, they did some tricks specifically to make the biggest splashes they could. I got some great shots."

I spun my hand around in front of me in a 'speed it up' motion. "Come on, Max, I'm not looking for a story here."

She pouted at me, and continued. "Okay, so when I asked, Trevor was pretty willing to admit that he and Dana had broken up. I guess they aren't announcing it, but if anyone asks, they're not hiding it either. He said it was mutual, which was interesting. He was kind of vague about the reasons. Something about wanting different things out of life and different worldviews?"

"Huh." I raised an eyebrow. "That's... a little more cerebral than I would've expected from him. Sounds like he's trying to keep the specifics quiet, though."

"He said I should ask Dana if I wanted details, that it wasn't his story to tell. He seemed..." Max hesitated, pondering her words. "...Sort of resigned? I think he saw this coming for a while. Justin wasn't surprised either, but I guess he would've been the first person Trevor told."

"Hmm." I chewed on the information. "So no signs of pining, or trying to get her back?"

"Nothing like that. I think he still likes Dana. Y'know, as a friend. He didn't have anything bad to say about her, at least. But I guess whatever spark was between them is gone now."

"Well shit. That is surprisingly cool of him." I really was surprised. Blackwell had seen plenty of breakups between its couples and they were often messy affairs that spilled over into other relationships. Juliet was paranoid about her thing with Zach, but she wasn't wrong to be. Drama follows high-school relationships the way pigeons follow a two-year-old with fries. For Dana and Trevor to break things off so peacefully was impressive. I could feel my respect for Trevor go up a couple of notches. My respect for Dana... Well, that was already about as high as it could get.

There was another person to consider, though. "What about Justin?" I asked. "How did he react to the whole thing?"

Max's brow furrowed as she looked at her notes again. "It's... a little hard to say, actually. I had trouble getting a read on him. He was mostly quiet while I talked to Trevor, and just seemed really... thoughtful. He seemed supportive of his friend; they didn't hug or anything, but they're guys, so that doesn't mean anything. I don't know what that says about how he feels about Dana, though."

I smirked. "Maybe that's why Trevor and Dana broke up—Trevor suddenly has eyes for Justin now. Skater-bros in love."

Max's eyes widened, and seemed to downright sparkle. "You think so?"

I pressed a hand to my forehead. "No, Max, I was joking. Christ."

"Aw." She deflated with a frown. "That would've been cute."

"I think even an Oregon art school can only hold so much gay at once." I leaned over to try to get a look at her journal. "Anything else of interest in there?"

Max tilted the book away from me and made a face. "No, though I'm studying with Daniel this afternoon. I can talk with him then."

"Cool." I lolled my head to the side to rest against the bank of lockers, thinking. "So Justin may still be in the running, but is probably waiting so he isn't a dick to his friend. Trevor's not interested in reclaiming Dana, and the breakup was peaceful. That's actually really helpful. The last thing Dana needs is another clingy asshole ex trying to claim her."

A shadow fell over me from behind, and Max stiffened with terror. I heard heavy breathing, and a deep voice grumbling, "You just can't stop fucking talking about me, can you, bitch?"

Ah, shit. I closed my eyes for a moment, willing for this moment to be a dream, but it was not to be. Turning around, I looked up (and up and up; Jesus, this guy was tall) into the furious eyes of Logan Robertson.

Logan's voice dropped to a low growl as he leaned in, bracing a fist on the locker behind me and generally intruding on my personal space. “First you're talking shit about Dana to my best friend, now you're calling me a clingy asshole right in the middle of the hallway. You don't know when to stop, do you?”

I was too tired and too grumpy and too stressed out to deal with this shit. My mouth once again outpaced my brain, as I said, "I just call it like I see it, dick. Back off, your breath reeks."

“You think you're funny, huh?” Logan sneered. “I don't know what you're up to. I don't really fucking care. Me and Dana, that's our business. Back off and go back to your own bitchy corner.”

“Or what?” I asked, trying to ignore the sweat running down my neck. “Are you really planning on beating up a girl in the middle of school?”

Logan's snarl twisted up, turning into a cruel, ugly grin. “Of course not. I'm not an animal. But if you think I can't make you regret ever coming to this fucking school, then you've got a rude surprise in your future—one that won't leave a mark.”

“Leave her alone, Logan.” Max's voice was small and quavering. Glancing over, she was shivering, her fists clenched tight, but her huge eyes didn't turn away from Logan. Guess the girl had some backbone hidden away under all the awkward.

“You should pick your friends more carefully, Caulfield,” Logan replied, keeping his eyes locked on mine. “You never know when shit will splash back onto you.”

“What's going on here?”

All three of us jumped at the unexpected voice. Logan turned and backed off, withering under Dana's stern gaze. She stood with her fists on her hips, a booted foot tapping on the ground.

“Just having a little chat,” Logan said grudgingly. “Going over some matters of etiquette.”

“You wouldn't know etiquette if it threw a brick at your head,” Dana replied. “I need to talk to Taylor, so unless you have something else you'd like to say...?”

He shook his head and, with one last glare at me, skulked off down the hall.

I took a deep breath, slowly letting the tension ease out of my body. I was going to be a jumpy mess for a little while. I must have gone too fast with Trevor, tipped him off that I was manipulating him. I'd have to tread carefully. Logan's threat was vague, and I questioned just how far he would go. But in the name of getting back together with Dana, I suspected that small details like 'morality' and 'propriety' wouldn't hold him back.

“Thanks, Dana,” Max said as I thought. “I have no idea what his problem is, but it's a good thing you came along when you did.”

“I think figuring out what's wrong with Logan would take a lifetime of really depressing psychiatry,” Dana replied lightly, before turning back to me. “Are you okay? You're shaking.”

“I am?” I looked down at my hand, which wouldn't stay still despite my best efforts. “Huh. So I am.”

“He didn't hurt you, did he?” Dana asked as she put a hand on my shoulder, guiding me down toward the end of the hall.

“Nah, though he sure tried to make me think he wants to. I'll be fine; must just be adrenaline.” I took another deep breath. “Thanks, though. For making him back off.”

“Well, I wasn't lying. I do need to talk to you.” Dana frowned at me as she pushed open the door to the outside, leading me and Max into the gloomy afternoon. “Let's go to my room, so you can calm down.” She looked over at Max. “Sorry, but I kinda want to talk to her alone...?”

“Oh, right.” Max smiled awkwardly, rubbing her neck. “Of course. I'll talk to you later, Taylor.” She darted in and gave me a quick hug before heading back into the school building.

Dana was quiet as she led me to her room, her mouth set in a firm line. I took a seat on her couch, shifting uncomfortably. I was still quivering, dammit. “Do you want anything?” she asked.

"Got any coffee?" I asked.

"No coffee, just tea and some hot chocolate."

"Hot chocolate. Definitely hot chocolate."

By the time she was pouring out the cocoa, my hands had largely settled down. My brain was still jumbled up—mostly thinking about Logan's threat, and how I was going to take him down before he could act on it—but I forced myself to refocus as Dana handed me a mug.

“Thanks. What did you want to talk to me about?” I asked. A faint thrum of déjà vu went up my back; people had been asking me that question a lot lately, and it felt weird to offer it myself.

Dana sipped, looking thoughtful. Finally, she said, "It's been a weird couple of days, and every time I think about why, you're at the middle of it."

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Uh-oh. "What do you mean?"

"Brooke told me that you were lurking around my room the other day, I guess when you drew on my room slate." Dammit, Brooke. "At the same time, Kate—who, bless her heart, has never felt like being athletic in her life—suddenly wants to start jogging in the middle of winter.”

“Um.” I scrambled to think of a good excuse. “That was just—”

Dana shook her head. "Sorry, not done. After that, Juliet comes up to me and says that you've been talking about me behind my back—asking her questions about me, then turning around and talking shit to Zach. Something is going on with you, Victoria, and Courtney, which is affecting Max, which affects Kate, which affects me. And now my old fling is picking fights with you to defend my honor." She set down the mug with a hard thump that sent hot chocolate sloshing over the side, and stared me in the eye, her mouth pressed tight and her dark eyes burning. "What's your game, Taylor? You're stirring shit up. Why?"

I gulped, my mouth suddenly parched, and drank deep from the mug. I knew my mistake immediately: Zach hides nothing from Juliet, and Juliet hides nothing from Dana. Given enough time, I could've made my move a lot more subtly, but I rushed it and now everyone had figured out I was up to something. Shit. I was more surprised that Brooke had said anything, but I have to admit, I was acting super weird that Saturday. Dammit, Victoria wouldn't have fucked this up.

Meanwhile, Dana was still looking me in the eyes, her knuckles white as they gripped her mug of hot chocolate. Shit shit shit. I raised my hands. "Okay, look, I know this all seems weird, like I'm trying to do something to you. I'm not, I swear. If anything, I'm trying to help you."

"How does calling me a slut to my ex's best friend help me, exactly?"

"I never said—!" I shook my head; it didn't matter. I never used the word, but the implication was clear. "Look, I needed to sell Zach on the story. I needed Logan's attention directed elsewhere, and putting a word in Zach's ear is usually the best way to do that. I fucked up, and Logan came after me. I'm sorry you had to get involved in that."

Dana's green and red nails tapped her mug. "And why did you need to distract Logan? What's your goal here, Taylor?"

Shit shit shit shit shit. My head dropped; I couldn't meet Dana's eyes. “I can't tell you.”

“What?” Dana's voice was sharp enough to shave with.

“It's not my secret to tell, all right? What I'm up to or why I'm doing it—I can't tell you about it. It's Kate's thing, that's all I can say. But it's all in your best interests, okay? If everything works out, you'll be the big winner here. You just have to trust me.”

“Kate...?” Dana shook her head and folded her arms, glaring at me. “And why should I do that? What reason would I ever have to trust you?”

Ouch. Why indeed? Not many people did; Victoria trusted me to do her dirty work and keep my mouth shut, but that wasn't saying much. Courtney had trusted me, and look where that got her. Why should Dana trust me, when no one else did? When I didn't even trust myself?

Well. Someone trusted me.

I looked up into Dana's eyes. “Because Kate does.”

Dana's brows shot up, and her arms fell. “Does she?”

“Yeah. Fuck knows why, but she does.” I could feel it even as I said it. Kate must have been carrying her feelings for Dana around for a while, even back when I was giving her hell, keeping them hidden while Dana was with Trevor. But when the chance came to act on those feelings, she didn't turn to Max, or to Stella, or to Alyssa for help. She turned to me, someone who'd despised and abused her so recently. And I'd taken that trust, and kept it. Would the Taylor from October have done so? Probably not.

Max and Kate were bad influences.

“We both know Kate doesn't trust people easily, right? Like, she's nice to people, and thinks the best of them, but she doesn't let them in,” I continued. Dana nodded, looking thoughtful. “I don't know much about her family, but from what she's said, her parents sound like total dicks, and we both know the kind of shit she's had to put up with since she came to Blackwell. I was the one shoveling some of it, after all.” I hesitated. “Thanks, by the way. For getting me to lay off of her. I don't think I would've been friends with her otherwise, and that would've been awful. There's something special about being close to her.”

Dana reluctantly nodded, a genuine softness slipping across her face. “Yeah, I don't want to think of life without her as my friend either.”

I gave Dana a weak smile. “So fuck knows I don't deserve it, but Kate's put her faith in me. Nothing is more important to Kate than her faith. I'm doing my best not to betray it, and to do right by her to make up for the shitty things I did before. And I want to do the same for you. So even if I can't talk about exactly what's going on right now, I'm doing it for her, and for you. All I need is a little bit of your faith, to go with Kate's.”

Dana was quiet for a while, watching me thoughtfully. I sniffed and frowned, rubbing my eyes with a sleeve. When did I start tearing up? Goddammit, I'd have to fix my eyeliner, assuming I survived this conversation.

Finally, Dana threw her hands in the air. “All right, fuck it, why not. I'll give you a chance. Whatever you and Kate are scheming, I'll trust that your intentions are good; if nothing else, I kinda want to see what plan you have that involves calling me a slut for my own good. But if you're fucking around with me—or worse, fucking with Kate—then I will absolutely kick your ass across town and back.”

I nodded. “Sounds fair. I do not want to invite the wrath of Ward.”

“I like that. Makes me sound like an old sci-fi villain.” She sighed, tension easing out of her shoulders and back, and took another drink from her mug. “Just tell me that you two aren't trying to set me up with some guy. Things literally just ended with Trevor, boys are the last thing I want to think about right now.”

Oh Dana, if only you knew. “I can honestly say that we're not trying to set you up with any guys.” Technically correct, the best kind of correct.

“Good. And stop fucking around with Logan, all right? I doubt he'll do anything now that I've barked at him, but you're playing with fire there. He doesn't look it, but he's actually pretty smart. If he thinks you're his enemy, he can be a lot nastier than you'd think.”

“I'll do my best.” The surface of my hot chocolate started to shimmer as my hands shook again; I clamped down on them. I suspected that Logan wasn't nearly as dangerous as he thought he was, but I still didn't want to be in his sights. I'd need to figure out a way to shut him down, soon. “Honestly, I don't know what you ever saw in him anyway. He's such an asshole.”

Dana flinched and looked away. Oh shit, I must have hit a tender spot. “He isn't always so bad. It was summer, we were doing some athletics training, and I guess he put on his best face for me. We were only together for like a month before I broke it off; he started getting really clingy, really fast, trying to keep me from being friends with any other guys, and I was not cool with that.”

“Good for you,” I said. “Fuck that jealous territorial bullshit.”

Dana gave me a small smile and raised her mug. I gave it a clink, and we both drank.

“Hey, while we're spilling dirty laundry everywhere anyway,” I said, keeping my voice light but watching Dana's face to see if I was going too far, “mind if I ask why you broke up with Trevor? Things seemed to be going pretty well for you two.”

“Oh jeez. Me and my big mouth.” Dana sipped from her mug again. “There's no big, sordid story, so if you wanted something fun to gossip about, I've got nothing for you. It just didn't work out. We drifted apart.”

I gave her a level look, leaning forward and bracing my elbows on my knees. “Don't give me that. You were Blackwell's happiest couple for a while, an Avril Lavigne song brought to life. Sure, you two were different, but that didn't seem to bug you before. Something must have driven a wedge.”

“Oh for fuck's sake. Fine, I'll tell you, but don't go talking about it all over school, okay? It's a private thing. I haven't even told Kate about it.” Dana stood and stepped over to kneel by her bed, pulling a small wooden box from underneath.

I tried to ignore the flush of warmth from my belly at Dana trusting me with this kind of secret. Something even Kate didn't know? I got the feeling that the only person Dana trusted more than Kate was Juliet. I did my best to fake levity. “Is it a sex thing? If it's a sex thing, just tell me; I don't need to see your toys. And I really don't need to know if Trevor was into pegging or not.”

“Oh my God, you're gross,” Dana said, rolling her eyes. She pressed the box into my hands before going back to the couch. “It's not a sex thing. Just... look for yourself, and promise not to laugh.”

“Why would I laugh?” I gave her a puzzled look before lifting the lid off the box. The smell of dried herbs slapped me across the face. Not the fun kind, just the cooking-and-potpourri kind. They were tied into little bundles, and crammed into the box with small bottles (full of more dried herbs), a bunch of scented candles, a few lumps of quartz, some pieces of chalk, a leather-bound book embossed with the title _The Book of Shadows_ , and a weird-looking knife with a bunch of little symbols carved on it.

I stared at the box for a few moments, looked up at Dana, then down at the box. “...What the fuck is all this? Please tell me you're not in a cult that does human sacrifices or something.” I carefully set the knife to the side, and pulled out the book to flip through it. It looked like the book was originally a blank journal, but about half of it was filled with Dana's neat curly handwriting, noting down what looked like recipes for... good health and protection from bad luck?

“It's not a cult, and I definitely don't sacrifice anything,” Dana said, hands gripping her jeans tightly as she watched me. “But this is just something that I've been doing for a while, basically since my... Well, my thing with Logan. I'm a Wiccan.”

I looked up at her. “Wait, so, like, you're a witch? Dana of House Gryffindor? How is this my first time hearing about this?” Shit, so this is what Juliet meant about the crystals. Could she have been any more oblique?

“Excuse you, I'd be a Hufflepuff and proud of it,” Dana huffed. “And I don't make a big deal about it. It's kinda weird, right? It just... gives me a way to feel like I'm in control of my life when things are rough.” She sighed and reached over, taking the book from me and flipping through the pages. “Ms. Grant suggested it to me, introduced me to her group. The way she describes it, the magic I do isn't like in _Buffy_. It's more subtle, as much psychology, meditation, and prayer as actual witchcraft. It's a way to cope, and sometimes that's really nice. Even if it looks like bullshit to everyone else.”

“Ms. Grant?” I sat back, raising an eyebrow. “The _science_ teacher got you into magic? Seriously?”

Dana rolled her eyes. “It's not like we're anti-science. This is just kinda parallel to science. It asks different questions, and gets different answers. And Ms. Grant is super into the spiritualism of Arcadia Bay. She says this place is like a motherlode of magic. That's... kinda why Trevor and I broke up.”

“Okay, you're going to have to explain that chain of logic for me.”

“Ugh. I'll do my best.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. “So Arcadia Bay was pretty important to the Tillamook, the natives that used to live around here. They left stuff like the Tobanga, and generally saw the bay as a place of power. The coven is really into the idea, and kinda idolizes the Tillamook's spirituality.”

I nodded. “I'm following so far.” Sounded like nonsense to me, but no more nonsense than Kate's church or Courtney's synagogue. I carefully bit my tongue to avoid laughing at Dana's group actually calling itself a 'coven'.

“So that's where Trevor starts getting upset,” Dana continued. “He's part Indian—not Tillamook, but there's still a feeling of solidarity there.”

“Wait, really? I had no idea.”

“He doesn't really talk about it. I mean, when does it come up? But it's something he cares about. I joined the coven right around when we started dating, and I talked to him a little about this stuff. He was never really comfortable with how Ms. Grant talked about the natives here. She's super into the idea that Arcadia Bay was settled peacefully, with the colonists and natives sharing the place equally and the white folks getting introduced to the native magic; some of the coven claim that their ancestors have been doing the local magic for over a century. If I'm being honest, it kinda smells like bullshit to me.”

“Oh good, I'm glad I didn't have to say it.”

Dana shrugged. “That's something I learned when I was getting started. There's a lot of pompous crap in Wiccan circles—people claiming that we're the survivors of the Burning Times and shit, when the tradition was founded by some British people in the '50s. Doesn't make the faith less valid, it just means that you take what other people say with a grain of salt. Anyway, Trevor never liked Ms. Grant's story, said it erased the actual suffering that the Tillamook went through, and the coven is basically appropriating the native traditions for themselves.”

I nodded slowly. “I can kinda see where he's coming from. I've heard her talk about some of this stuff before, and her version of history seems really rosy. Like, magic would have to be involved to make this the one idyllic town in America that wasn't founded on genocide. And if the colonists coexisted with the natives here, then where are all the natives these days? Arcadia Bay is pretty fucking white.”

“Exactly. I mean, more people are part Indian than we realize, but you're still right.” Dana sighed. “So yeah, I could see Trevor's point of view too. But the coven's still valuable to me, and I'm a new member; I wasn't about to start yelling at people for petty shit, y'know? Especially about something that has nothing to do with the religion itself.”

“So that's why you broke up?” I asked. “Because you wouldn't yell at your coven about the cultural appropriation thing?”

“Sort of? That definitely put a strain on our relationship, which is why I think last week was easier than it would've been otherwise.” Dana flopped back on the couch, staring at the ceiling. “Trevor and I were just growing apart, I guess, moving in different directions. I think the whole argument actually made him care more about his ancestry. He went to a camp in Washington over the summer to learn more about his ancestors' language and culture, and he's going to visit his grandparents over the holiday break.” She gave me a little smile. “Just between us, I think he met a girl at the camp that he's interested in.”

I tilted my head. “And that doesn't bother you?”

“Not really. Let's be real. Trevor was fun to be with, and he's cute and sweet. But it's not like we ever thought we were going to get married or anything. Our thing was a high school romance, mostly because we each thought the other was hot. If he found a connection that means more to him, that's great, and I won't begrudge him that.”

“Wow. That's actually super fucking mature, Dana.”

She glanced away. “Thanks, I guess. I just don't see why every breakup has to be this big explosion, y'know? It gets pretty fucking tiring.”

I nodded and leaned back, watching her. I didn't know how much I believed her about actually being over Trevor. But she seemed okay. I could see what she meant at the start of this conversation, about how this was a personal topic for her. The warm feeling at being party to the secret hadn't gone away.

_Kate has dibs. Kate has dibs. Kate has dibs._

“You know what's not fair?” Dana asked, sitting up and pointing at me with a little smile on her lips. “It feels like my whole damn life is on display for this school, but there's never anything very interesting to talk about with you. I haven't heard a juicy Taylor rumor since Max and Victoria got together.”

“I'm more in the business of spreading rumors than being the subject of them. But why would _that_ be your reference point?”

Dana's smile widened into a true grin. “Because basically everyone in the school thought you had the hots for Victoria, duh.”

I stared in stunned silence for a moment. “...I think I need to go hurl. She's my best friend; that's all kinds of fucked up.”

“Sometimes best friends can become more. But yeah, I don't think Victoria's your squeeze anymore.” Dana winked at me, sending my stomach into a barrel roll. “No, I think Kate has that spot nailed down now.”

I threw my hands in the air. This was getting fucking ridiculous. “For fuck's sake! Why does everyone think I want to get it on with Kate?” After a moment's pause, “and why does everyone assume I'm gay?”

Dana gave me a flat look.

“Shut up, Dana.”

She giggled. “Fine, I'll lay off. But I am glad that you and Kate are getting along. I think she might like you, too. Just food for thought.” Oh Dana. So sweet. So oblivious. “Kate said it was your idea to have a movie night?”

“Yeah.” I sat back, nerves making my leg bounce. “I figured we could use a break from studying and, well, Blackwell in general. When did you want to do that, anyway?”

Dana put a finger to her chin. “I don't have any big tests tomorrow, so maybe tonight? You, me, and Kate. It'll be fun.” She grinned again. “And if you want me to step out early so you two can have some alone time, just say the word.”

“Fuck off, Dana.” I sighed. Dammit, that was my job! “But sure, I can host tonight. I'll let Kate know and get the movies picked out. It'll be fun.”

“Yeah, I think we could all use some fun.”

Dana pulled me into a tight hug before I stepped out of her room. Much as I would've liked to hold the hug forever, I had work to do.

As I walked toward my room, I shook my head. Goddamn, now my crush thought I had a crush on the girl who had a crush on my crush. This was just getting silly, and I felt like I desperately needed a thesaurus.

Obviously, Kate was just a friend.

Obviously.

***

"Oooh, popcorn."

I was on my way from the communal kitchen to my dorm room when I encountered Brooke. I twisted the bowl away from her grabby hand and glared at her. "Not for you, snitch."

"Snitch?" Brooke raised an eyebrow at me, then rolled her eyes. "Oh, the thing with Dana? Whatever, like I wasn't going to warn her about whatever weird shit you were doing. Be less suspicious and there'd be nothing to snitch on you about."

"I told you, I wasn't doing anything bad. It doesn't matter anyway." I shook my head and started down the hall again. I stopped when I heard Brooke's footsteps matching mine. "Why are you following me?"

She sighed and answered slowly, like I was a child. "My room is at the end of this hall. I have to go in the same direction as you."

"Oh, right." I grumbled and kept walking.

After a moment, Brooke cleared her throat and did her best to seem nonchalant. "So how's the thing we talked about yesterday going? Y'know, the one with Max?"

"It's going," I answered. "Should be resolved by tomorrow. I'll let you know."

"Good, good." Brooke and I split where the hall turned to take me to my dorm in the next hall. "I'll hold up my end if you hold up yours," she promised before heading into her room.

"Damn well better," I grumbled to myself as I stepped into my room. The popcorn bowl went on my coffee table. I puttered around, making sure everything else was ready to have Kate and Dana over. DVDs, check. Dirty clothes cleaned up, check. Soda ready to drink, check. Bottle of red wine squirreled away to be brought out later, check. Permission from Victoria to crash on her couch when the time came to let Kate and Dana be romantic, check.

Now I just needed the other girls.

Right on cue, a quiet knock came from my door. I opened it with a flourish, dragging a startled Kate in. "Come in, come in!" I said. "Refreshments are ready, movies are queued up, we're just waiting for the guest of honor."

"I'm glad you're so excited," Kate said with a small smile. She was back in her adorable flower pajamas, her sketchbook held tight to her chest. If she'd brought any other book, I would've chastised her for violating the sanctity of the Break From Finals Movie Night, but sketchbooks are special. One artist to another, I could completely understand dragging it everywhere. Kate paused once I'd closed the door and frowned, peering at my face. "Are you all right, Taylor? You don't look very good."

"People keep saying that; I swear I'm going to get a complex or something,” I said. “I'm fine. Just a little tired. Finals week, you know."

"Oh, if you need to sleep, we don't have to—"

I held up a hand. "Nope, no weaseling out of this. I'm fine. You have a romantic night with Ms. Ward planned."

"If you say so..." Kate didn't look mollified, but any protest was cut off when she turned and coughed raspily into her elbow. "Ugh."

I sighed and folded my arms, doing my best to look like a stern parent. "Kate, you got sick from running in the rain, didn't you."

"I'll be all right." Kate looked up, a dreamy smile on her face that came close to melting the hard black ice of my heart. "It was worth it."

"Good girl, but remember, you can't get with Dana if you're dead. Speaking of which, feel free to use my bed tonight, just clean up after yourself. And I'm afraid you'll have to use your own toys." I grinned as Kate blushed and sputtered. Okay, so maybe there was a reason everyone thought I was into her; she was too damned much fun to tease. I continued before she had a chance to recover. “So I have the full gay panoply ready to go. _Rocky Horror_ is a classic of the community, and then there's plenty of schmaltzy lesbian romance for you on this shelf here. Though it's a pain in the ass to find lesbian stories with happy endings, let me tell you.”

Kate nodded, setting her notebook down and making herself comfortable. “Thanks, I wouldn't even know where to start with all this.” She hesitated for a moment, before continuing, “There's something I've been kind of curious about. You don't have to answer if you don't want to; I probably shouldn't be asking something so personal anyway.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Go ahead. I reserve the right to plead the fifth, though.”

“Taylor, are you gay?”

What the everloving fuck. “Okay, third time I've heard that assumption in as many days. I seriously need to figure out what's setting off everyone's gaydar. Why do you ask?”

Kate coughed again and looked away, wringing her hands. “Well, I was just thinking that you've done so much to help me, and I really appreciate it. And I felt like I should return the favor, do what I can to help you find the person of your dreams. But it occurred to me that I had no idea who that was; I always thought you maybe felt something for Victoria, but then she and Max got together, and, well... I was just wondering. Sorry, I shouldn't have asked.”

“It's fine, it's fine.” I waved my hand, stifling the uneasy feeling in my stomach. Dammit, Kate. This was getting close to a minefield of heartbreak and drama. “Honestly, I'm not really sure. I'm... definitely not straight, but everything past that? Who knows, who cares, I'm not sweating it.”

“Really?” Kate frowned, folding her arms. “Isn't that something you should know? It seems kind of... important.”

I shrugged. “For some people, yeah. I don't really give a shit. Don't sweat it; I'm not important. You and Dana are what's important right now. No need to worry about setting me up with anyone.” Especially since the only person I wanted was the very woman I was helping Kate get. Fucking hell.

“If you're sure... I just want you to know, if you ever want my support, you'll have it.”

“I'll keep that in mind,” I said with an uneasy smile. Thankfully, I was saved by a knock on the door. “Game time,” I whispered, giving Kate a little bump on the shoulder.

Kate squeaked and stared back at me wide-eyed. "Oh Lord. What should I do?"

"Just be yourself. You're pretty great." I stepped to the door, took a deep breath, and opened it with a flourish. "Dana! What a lovely surprise!"

Dana snorted at me as she stepped inside. "You invited me, you dingus. Hey, Kate!" She pulled Kate into a hug. Kate herself was quiet, and I could see her face getting pink over Dana's shoulder. I couldn't blame her. Dana's pajamas apparently consisted of loose hip-hugging pants and a ridiculously oversized Blackwell Cheer Squad T-shirt, the collar of which had been stretched out to the point where one side was sliding off of Dana's shoulder. Who knew that a bare shoulder blade could be so sexy?

"All right, ladies, take a seat and let's get this party started," I said. Kate and Dana settled onto my loveseat while I busied myself with the DVD. "Dana, poor Kate here has lived a sheltered life, so we need to give her a hot shot of culture. Specifically, she's never seen _Rocky Horror_."

Dana mock-gasped, her hands going to her mouth. "What?" She turned to Kate, pulling her into another hug. "Oh, you poor dear. Good call, Taylor, this needs to be fixed now."

Kate chuckled nervously. "I just hope it isn't too scary. I've never been very good with horror movies."

Dana and I gave each other a knowing look. "I think you'll be fine, Kate," I said as I started the movie, then went over to perch on the arm of the love seat next to Kate, grabbing a fist full of popcorn on the way.

The plan was simple: Get the movie started, beg off early to go crash in Victoria's room, let Dana and Kate have some alone time, make Kate wash my sheets if their night went _really_ well.

There was one key flaw in the plan, though: One does not simply start watching _Rocky Horror_. I'd meant to leave before the first musical number, but I delayed just a little bit too long. Before I knew what was happening, Dana and I were singing along to "The Time Warp", and I was stuck. Of course I had to hang around for "Sweet Transvestite" and Meatloaf's absurd cameo.

"This is... not what I was expecting," Kate said at some point, which sent me and Dana into giggles.

Then "Touch-a, Touch-a, Toucha-a, Touch Me" started. Dana and I shot each other knowing looks over Kate's head as Janet sang about her virginity. We hadn't rehearsed this, but Dana clearly had the song about as well memorized as I did; right on cue, we joined in on the line, "I've tasted blood and I want more, more, more!" Kate looked up at us, startled, as Dana and I both leaned in on her, draping arms over her shoulders and singing, “Touch-a touch-a touch-a touch me!”. We were both off-key and laughing more than singing, but I don't think either of us gave a shit as we whispered huskily into Kate's ears, "I wanna be dirty." The poor girl literally shivered, and I could just about see steam rising from her face. Dana and I both broke down laughing as the song went into the many characters chanting, "Creature of the night!" 

I leaned across the loveseat's back and smiled, my weight on my elbow. Dana's arm was warm against mine, and we had Kate pretty firmly sandwiched. A voice in the back of my head was yelling that I should be gone, that this night was supposed to be for Kate and Dana, but honestly, I had trouble caring right then. This was nice. Dana had lost the slight tension that always seemed to hover around the corners of her eyes. Kate's face was flushed, but she relaxed under our grip and a huge smile was glued to her face. Victoria's bullshit was far away, Courtney's breakdown didn't intrude, even my mom's sickness didn't weigh on me as much. There was nothing to stress about, just warmth, comfort, and friendly company. I could easily spend the rest of my life on that undersized couch.

Before I knew it, the movie was over. With a put-upon sigh, I stood up from the warm seat and stretched, my spine making little popping noises; as nice as the little cuddle-party had been, my position was awkward and I was kind of stiff. Glancing back, I saw Kate leaning into Dana and the two of them chatting quietly about the movie. Kate mostly sounded confused. Honestly, I couldn't blame her; going from a sheltered conservative background straight into _Rocky Horror_ must make for some culture shock. It was all I could do to keep from breaking down laughing when Kate said, “But it wasn't really a horror movie at all, was it?”

Rummaging through the DVD case, I browsed the movies I'd set aside for this evening in particular. Which one best fit the mood...? Ah, that worked. “Has either of you seen _Imagine Me & You_”

Unsurprisingly, Kate had not. Dana raised an eyebrow at me. "What, like the song by Turtle?"

"Named after the song, yeah. Trust me, you'll like it. It's... topical." I put in the DVD and went back to the loveseat, this time sitting on the floor next to Dana.

All right, this time, I would definitely leave quickly. This was the kind of movie that would be perfect for setting a mood for Dana and Kate to focus on each other. I just needed to get out so they could do so. Settle in for now, ignore the warmth, ignore the comfort, get out.

Yup. Just needed to... Get out...

I was asleep before the opening sequence was done.


	7. Wednesday Showers

Regular classes were over for exams, which had the unfortunate effect of throwing off my usual schedule. Thus, I found myself running late on Wednesday morning, rushing to get through my morning routine and on to class. So I didn't even check the weather before I was already out of the dormitory door sans umbrella, and found myself in a monsoon.

I stared out into the storm, mouth agape at the torrential downpour. Visibility was shit—I couldn't even see the Tobanga from my position. The puddles from the previous days were now small lakes dancing under the randrops' beat. The wind whipped, sending bursts of rain under the shelter to splash around my legs. Shit, so much for my morning primping; I'd look like a drowned rat long before I ever made it to the school building.

“Oh, wow, this is even worse than last week,” a soft voice said from behind me. I turned to find Kate standing in the doorway, her umbrella braced on her shoulder. She glanced over at me and smiled. “Oh, did you forget your umbrella, Taylor? Here, you can share with me.”

“Thanks, Kate,” I said, and slid up next to her as we moved out into the deluge. I wasn't sure what it was, but something about this trip felt different than when I'd escorted her a few days before. Maybe it was the role reversal, as she tilted the umbrella to shield me according to the movements of the wind. Maybe it was how much time we'd spent together over the last few days. Maybe I was letting Victoria and Dana's speculations that I wanted to bang Kate get to me. But all through the walk, I was keenly aware of Kate's proximity—the curve of her neck, the warmth of her body, the faint bags under her eyes. Was I really noticing these details about her for the first time?

If there's something to be said for rain, it made us hurry to get to Blackwell proper, compensating for my late start to the morning. All too soon, Kate pulled away from me, shaking off her umbrella before collapsing it. “Phew, that was rough. I hope you didn't get too wet, Taylor?”

Oh wow, Victoria would've had some fun with that. “I'm fine. Thanks, Kate, you're a saint.”

She beamed at me, sending a ball of warmth right to my stomach. “It's only fair; you did the same for me, after all. And I still need to thank you for the movie night last night. It was a lot of fun.”

“Oh yeah, sure.” I rubbed my neck awkwardly. “Sorry for knocking out so early. And, y'know, not clearing out like I planned to.”

“Honestly, I think it was more fun with you there,” Kate answered as we started down the hallway. “With everything that's been happening, being alone with Dana can be a little... intense. You helped keep everything light and fun.”

“Clearly you were just excited to have two babes singing at you to toucha, toucha, toucha, touch them,” I replied with a smirk.

Kate spluttered, turning red. “Well... that wasn't the worst.”

“So how did you and Dana like _Imagine Me & You_? I don't think I made it through the opening credits for that one.”

“It was cute! Dana spent the whole time making jokes; I guess Luce's actor is a character in _Game of Thrones_? I didn't really get them because I haven't watched the show, but it was fun. We noticed you were asleep after the movie ended. Dana carried you to your bed, then we left.” Kate shot me another quick smile. “You were adorable.”

Wait, Dana cradled me in her arms, and I slept through it? God dammit, past-me was the worst! _Kate has dibs, Kate has dibs, Kate has dibs_ , I had to remind myself.

“Thanks again for hosting us,” Kate continued, oblivious to my inner turmoil. “We should do it again sometime, after the holiday break.”

“Sure,” I answered, opening the door to the photography classroom for her. “I'm sure I can think of more mood-setting movies for you.”

Kate smiled at me one last time before darting through the door. She stepped over to the teacher's desk to greet Mx. Dog, who had our exams neatly organized on their desk. I took my usual seat next to Victoria, and as soon as I did, the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. Vic is an artist with her makeup, but I could still see the bags under her eyes, and there was no masking the air of sullen hostility around her. Even the usually-oblivious Hayden had decided not to approach her, as he instead chatted quietly with Stella. They stole quick glances at me as I sat before returning to their conversation. Probably trying to gauge how much I was involved with Vic's black mood.

Stella shuffled over and quietly asked, "Hey Taylor, what's going on? She's not usually this moody. Not for the last couple of months, anyway."

"Don't ask," I whispered back. "It's... complicated."

"A lot of stuff's complicated about you lately, isn't it?" she said. "I heard you've been asking about Dana?"

I gave Stella a funny look. "Where did you hear that?"

"Don't ask, it's complicated," she said with an insufferably superior smirk. "Let's talk tomorrow. I'll let you know when and where."

I didn't get to ask what the fuck Stella meant as Max burst into the room, panting and soaked. She sheepishly smiled at Mx. Dog before moving around to sit on Victoria's other side. A quick kiss on Vic's cheek was the only thing to bring the ghost of a smile to the ice queen's lips. Stella gave me a nod and slipped away back to her seat.

Mx. Dog cleared their throat and stood. “Now that Ms. Caulfield is here,” they said, fixing Max with a stern look, “let's go ahead and get started with the exam.”

I stole one last glance at Victoria, whose face had returned to solemnity even as she gripped Max's hand tightly. It'd all be over by the end of the day, I told myself. Max would talk to Warren, Brooke would follow her deal, and everyone could relax.

Less than a day.

***

The rain finally broke in the afternoon, after my second exam of Wednesday. My feet trudged as they made their way up the steps of Prescott Dormitory. Apparently, Max was meeting Warren on the roof to talk. I'd asked her where she got the keys to the roof access, and she'd shrugged off the question sheepishly. Clearly, Chloe had rubbed off on her before fucking off to who-knew-where.

Max was already there when I stepped out onto the roof. She paced nervously, turning her camera over and over in her hands. She gave me a little smile and a nod when she saw me, before turning and raising the camera for a selfie, catching me in the frame.

I walked over as she waved the Polaroid around in the air. “Why would you take a selfie now, of all times?” I asked. “You look like you're about to bolt and run, and you can't be looking forward to this chat. Why do you want to have a reminder of this bullshit?”

“Someone has to preserve the moment,” she answered easily; clearly, she'd had this conversation before. “You're right, I'm super nervous right now. Remembering that is a big part of remembering this whole thing today. I can't just have mementos of the good moments; that wouldn't be honest. The bad memories help make us who we are too, y'know?” Max peered at the photo, then handed it to me. “Besides, it was a good shot.”

It actually was a pretty good shot. In the foreground, Max's eyes were wide and scared, perfectly capturing her nerves, her face illuminated by the light from the open door to the hallway. The same light backlit me, casting my face in featureless darkness. My shadow stretched out in front of me across the rooftop. “Damn,” I said, “I look like a total creep.”

“I don't know,” Max said as I handed back the photo, “I think it's appropriate. You like to stay kind of hidden away, letting the spotlight shine on others, but you leave a big impact. The spotlight wouldn't exist without you.”

I snorted in reply. “What, are you trying to butter me up or something?”

“No, sorry. You just seemed kind of gloomy lately. I wanted to show you how you strike others. At least, how you strike me.”

I paused, looking down into Max's earnest eyes for a moment before turning away. “...Thanks, Max. That's actually really nice.” Way nicer than someone like me deserved. Victoria had done well for herself. I plowed on, changing the topic as quickly as I could. "Did you talk to Daniel?"

"Yeah, we hung out a little yesterday. Talked art stuff. It was chill."

"And Dana...?"

Max shrugged uneasily. "I mean, I couldn't just come out and ask him, right? So I kind of talked around it. Asked him about his drawing, then about his models, and what he looks for in a model. He said that he favors people who look strong on the outside but are actually fragile, or that look fragile but are actually strong." She rubbed her neck, and I could see a faint flush on her cheeks. "He said that I was a good model."

"Holy shit, you've got all the admirers," I said mildly. No wonder Victoria was so clingy.

"See, that's the thing. I asked him if he ever, I dunno, had feelings about his models other than liking to draw them. He seriously reacted like he'd never thought of the idea."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure."

"No, really!" Max waved her hands around, the same way I did when I was trying to articulate an idea. "He said that there are people he likes in the school, but that it's a totally different thing than his art. Like, his art is a whole separate part of him. That's actually when I got to ask him, 'What about someone like Dana? She's a good subject, but it'd also be easy to have a crush on her.'"

"Huh." I perked up, my attention caught. "Not bad. What'd he say?"

Max shrugged. "He said that Dana was nice, but that... Well, that she basically wasn't for him. That he thought she... Uh, sorry, what he said was weird, so I'm going to quote him." She affected a deep voice that would've been funny if it weren't being used for a topic so important to me. "'I know Dana and Trevor broke up, but I don't think she's going to be alone for long. She holds others' hearts in her hands, and I think her heart is held in others' hands. None of them are mine, but I hope everyone can see the path open to them before it's too late.'"

"Okay, that's cryptic as fuck," I said. "Is he saying that he thinks Dana's crushing on multiple people?"

"Maybe?" Max shrugged. "Daniel's just kind of like that sometimes. The point is, I don't think you need to worry about him stealing Dana away."

“If you say so. Thanks for looking into it for me." I pulled out my phone and checked the time; it was pretty early, but it was also December, so the light was disappearing fast. "So when is fuckboy supposed to show up?”

“With that kind of winning personality, it's no wonder you're so loved by your peers,” a new voice said. I turned to find Warren standing in the doorway, pouting at me. He turned to Max. “What's she doing here?”

“I asked her to be here, so she could give me her support,” Max said, straightening up. I dutifully stepped back, giving her the floor (well, the roof). She took a deep breath and continued, “We need to talk, Warren. We've needed to talk for a while. I kept putting it off, and that was a mistake.”

Warren sighed and leaned against the wall next to the roof access door, pulling his jacket in closer around him. I guess we was trying to look cool, but mostly he looked like a grumpy kid in an oversized coat. “I didn't realize the 'we need to talk' line was just as ominous from a girl you aren't dating. So what did you have to say?”

“Warren, I'm kind of worried about how you've been acting for the last few months. You've been clingier than usual, and you've been a huge jerk to Victoria. It's obvious you're not happy about us getting together, and it's really starting to hurt.”

“This again?” He sighed. “We've talked about this before. I'm just worried about you. Victoria was Queen Bitch from the Asshole Dimension to you for over a year, and all of a sudden you're going out with her? It just doesn't sound right. It feels like some kind of shitty ploy.”

“After two months?” Max asked, folding her arms and raising a thin eyebrow. “That's a really long con. And she's been willing to play along with a _lot_ to make this convincing.”

“My room's right near theirs,” I put in. “I can hear them. Trust me, Victoria's going all-in on this.”

“Taylor!” Max snapped at me, turning bright, bright red.

Warren groaned, reaching up to cover his ears. “I don't want to hear this.”

“Too bad, you have to,” Max declared, folding her arms. Damn, girl was getting fierce. “Your paranoia, justified or not, didn't pan out. Victoria and I are doing fine; she cares about me and I care about her. That's obvious to everyone, even you.” I nodded along in agreement; seriously, they were so fucking cutesy, it was nauseating. “So that can't be the real reason you've been such a jerk to her.”

“I'm just worried about you!” Warren said, throwing his hands in the air. “I don't want you to get brainwashed by these Vortex Club assholes.” He shot a glare at me, which I answered with an icy stare. “I don't want you to stop being Max.”

“Hate to tell you this,” I said, “but the brain-scrubbers are all in the shop, and we're not expecting them back in a while. So unless you can point out some way that she's changed from how she used to be...?”

“I wasn't talking to you,” Warren snapped at me.

Max shook her head. “Answer the question, Warren. Have I changed?”

“I... you... You would've never had this conversation with me before!”

Max paused to consider that, then nodded slowly. “You're right. I wouldn't have. I would've let you keep chasing me forever.” She stepped forward, grabbing one of Warren's hands. “But I'm stronger now. I'm _happier_. I have a girlfriend that I love, who loves me. I support her and she supports me. I have new friends, new perspectives. Why aren't you happy for me?”

“I just...” Warren hesitated and broke eye contact. “I don't think she's the best person for you.”

“And who is, Warren?” Max asked softly. “You?”

His silence spoke volumes.

Max sighed and stepped back, letting him go. “Warren, I know you like me. It's really obvious. And I'm flattered. But I'm just not interested. I never will be. I value your friendship, I really do, but...” She glanced at me. “Like someone told me recently, if you can't support my happiness, then I'm not sure you're really being my friend.”

“Jeez, punch a guy right in the feel-bads, huh?” Warren tried to quip weakly. “So what do you want me to do?”

“I just need you to make a decision,” Max said. “You need to decide: Do you really want to be my friend, and be happy for me even when I'm with someone else? Or do you want to just be some guy who wants to...” Max made a face. “...To have sex with me?” Warren flinched; that obviously hit close to home. She went for the final blow: “Until you make that decision, I don't think we should hang out anymore.”

Max turned and started to walk toward the door, but Warren held up his hands. “Whoa, hang on, can I get a chance to talk?” She folded her arms and turned toward him with a frown. He shrank back a little, unable to look her in the eye. “You're right. I've been a total jackass. I've been acting like some kind of jealous alpha-male douchebag, like Logan. I don't want to be like that idiot.”

Warren took a deep breath and looked up into Max's eyes. “I want to be your friend, Max. I do. It's just... hard, sometimes, seeing you with another person. A person that I worry might hurt you. But you're right, it's your choice, and it's not like I have an objective stance here.”

Max gave him a small smile. “You told me once that everyone has biases; the important thing is to realize it and understand your own, so you can start to overcome them.”

“Did I say that? Man, I wish I had more lucid moments like that.” Warren chuckled weakly. “But yeah. Just... I can totally understand if you don't want to talk to me too much anymore. And I think I need some time to sort things out. But I value our friendship too, and I feel like a total shit for losing sight of it. So... I promise to do better. Can you forgive me?”

“Of course.” Max pulled Warren into a brief hug. “Take all the time you need. And you should hang out with Victoria sometime. You two have more in common than you'd think.”

“Now you're just talking crazy,” Warren said with a laugh. I covered my own knowing smile with a cough; Warren may well be one of the only people who could sustain a nerd-off with Victoria.

“It'll text you later, okay?” Max said to Warren, then turned to me. “Thanks for being here Taylor. You were a big help.”

I flashed her a thumbs-up. “Let me know if you need a warm body to stand in your corner again.”

“Will do. And now, I really need to go study. Thanks again, guys.” With a quick wave, she took off down the stairs, leaving me alone with Warren.

Well. This was uncomfortable. After a moment's hesitation, Warren turned to follow Max down the stairs, but stopped when I hurried forward to put a hand on his shoulder. “Huh?” he asked, turning to me. “What is it?”

I stood straight as I could, and looked him in the eye; Warren wasn't a big guy, but he had just enough height on me that I had to look up, to my irritation. “Were you being serious?” I asked. “About laying off?”

He frowned and shrugged off my hand. “Of course I was. I'm not a liar, Taylor.”

_Exactly the kind of thing liars like to say,_ I thought to myself, but there was no point getting into that right then. There were more important topics to tackle. “You know, if you want to get over Max, there are ways to help keep your mind off of her.”

“I don't do drugs,” he replied flatly.

“Fuck you, that's not what I'm talking about,” I snapped back. “I mean other girls, you asshole.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Uh, I'm flattered, Taylor, and I can't say you're not attractive, but—”

I threw my hands up and turned away. “Jesus goddamn motherfucking Christ, no wonder Max had so much trouble getting through your thick skull.” Fucking hell, the very idea was going to make me nauseous for a week. I turned back to him, jabbing a finger into his chest. “Look, just text Brooke, all right? Her crush on you is even more obvious than your crush on Max, and since people are commenting on your crush from space, you put together what that means.”

“Oh, right.” He shuffled a bit, uncomfortably. “Uh, why do you care so much, anyway?”

“Because watching her moon after you is annoying as fuck, and I'd like to see it finished one way or another,” I answered smoothly. It's not like I was lying; he didn't need to know about my ulterior motive. “Just text her. Or talk to her. Whatever, make a fucking move and maybe I'll stop thinking you're just a whiny fuckboy. That's half of why I was here to support Max talking to you. Brooke was in just as much pain as Max was because of you, just from the other side.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Warren said with a snort. He had a thoughtful look on his face when he turned to go back downstairs, though. “Maybe I will talk to her,” he threw over his shoulder as he left. I crossed my fingers, praying for a moment that everything would be okay.

Stupid me. I forgot the lesson that I learned when I was a little girl: nothing is listening to your prayers, and no one will ever answer them.

***

I had just hit the landing to the second floor when I heard a commotion from downstairs—the clatter of the doorway opening and feet walking in, and familiar voices giggling. Peering over the railing, my suspicions were confirmed as I saw Dana and Kate coming inside, chatting happily. They were both in workout gear, with sweat glistening on their foreheads. Stray curly hairs dangled around Kate's face, clearly having escaped from her bun. From my vantage point, it was easy to read Kate's expression of adoration, her eyes sparkling as she talked to Dana. For her part, Dana was totally at ease; she had lost the faint guarded air that always seemed to surround her, so subtle that it was hard to notice until it was gone.

I caught myself smiling, staring at them. Normally, cutesy romance bored me. I was happy that Vic and Max had finally gotten together, but that didn't mean I needed to hang around while they got mushy with each other. But something about Kate and Dana just made me happy—I could watch them be cute together all day.

It was while I was standing there, staring like a doofus, that Kate looked up. Her smile grew even wider and she waved cheerfully at me, “Hey Taylor!”

Shit, busted. Well, it was too late now. I smiled sheepishly and waved back. “'Sup? I'll just go—”

“Hang on!” Dana called up, “we'll be up in a second!”

Well, shit. I couldn't just take off after that; it'd be rude. Dana bounded up the steps, Kate following more slowly. "What're you doing out so late?" I asked as they made their way up.

"We decided to sleep in a little after the movie night," Dana said, "so an evening run seemed more appropriate. Especially with how much it was coming down this morning." Stepping onto the landing with me, she strode over and grabbed me, pulling me into a hug. "Thanks for hosting us, by the way. It was fun!"

"Uh, sure, no problem," I answered, trying not to think too much about where my head was now resting. "Kate said you liked the second movie?"

"Yeah, it was cute," Dana said. Kate nodded agreement as she made it to the top of the steps, huffing and puffing a bit. Two or three days of running clearly hadn't transformed her into a master athlete yet. "We were just talking about it, actually."

"Yeah?" I pushed open the door to the second floor hallway and walked with them inside. "What about?"

"Kate here was wondering if Rachel is gay or bisexual."

I gave Dana an odd look. "Rachel's pan. She makes a big deal about it every year for National Coming Out Day. You never noticed?"

Kate giggled and Dana rolled her eyes. "Not Rachel Amber. Rachel from the movie, you dork."

"Oh, right, I forgot that was her name." I shrugged. "I dunno. I'm not sure it really matters for the movie. Gay, bi, whatever—we pick labels like that to make ourselves feel comfortable. Help define our own identities." I shot a look at Kate, who seemed pensive. "As far as Rachel is concerned, she's in love with... Fuck, can't remember the other one.”

“Luce,” Dana supplied.

“Thanks, been a while since I actually saw the movie. Luce. She's Luce-sexual, and isn't into anyone else. I don't think she really settles on what her identity is at the end of the movie, but she doesn't need to. She's got Luce, and that's enough for her."

"I mean, I can't think of anyone who wouldn't be hot for a not-crazy Cersei, so that makes sense," Dana said. 

We paused in front of her door. "Kate and I need showers. After that, you guys want to come hang out? Get some studying done?" she asked.

"I'd love to!” Kate answered

Hey, another chance to let Dana and Kate have quality time. "Uh, thanks, but I wouldn't want to impose—"

"Don't be silly, Taylor!" Kate said, giving me a big smile. "Our art history final is tomorrow, isn't it? We can do flash cards again!"

I gave her a weird look, then turned to Dana. "I'll, like, think about it. But while I'm on this end of the hall, I think I'll stop by and visit Alice for a bit. Have fun showering; if you'll excuse us?"

I forcefully guided Kate into her room, shutting the door behind me. "What the hell are you doing?" I hissed at her as she went bustling around Alice's cage.

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking up with those big innocent eyes.

"I'm trying to give you some alone time with Dana. I fucked it up last night, but there's an opportunity here. Go seize it!"

"Oh, I didn't even think of that..."

I threw my hands in the air. "I'm bustin' my ass to get you laid and you didn't even notice the opportunity. We've got some work to do with you, kid."

"You're only a couple of months older than me." Kate shook her head. "Anyway, nothing like that is going to happen tonight. I appreciate your efforts, really I do. I just... feel like it would be more fun if you were there."

I narrowed my eyes, staring her in the face. "...You're nervous, aren't you?"

"I'm always nervous. Please come study with us?"

"Fine. Don't say I didn't give you the chance to tell me to fuck off, though."

"I wouldn't do that to you." Kate gave Alice a last pat, then turned away, starting to pull up the hem of her sweater before pausing. "Um, if you could...?"

"Right, I remember." I turned away, finding myself staring at a couple of the crosses on the wall. Why did she need more than one? My mom did the same thing, and I never could figure it out. Did more crosses mean more blessings, or something?

"How are things going for you?" Kate asked over the sound of rustling clothes. "I know you're busy with finals, but you also said you were going to, um, help me out a little in the background...?"

"Oh, right. I dunno, things are going." I frowned, gathering my scattered mental notes. "Victoria and Max are in, obviously. Still working on Juliet's help, but I'm not sure we need it. Vic's supposed to report on the Vortex Club side of things, but she's been... occupied. Max's spying was a lot more successful. She confirmed we don't have anything to worry about from Daniel or the skater bros."

"I didn't think we would," Kate said. "I really need to thank her for everything when this is all over. How about you, though? I heard you got into an argument with Logan?"

"Nothing I can't handle," I said, shrugging it off. "Dana sorted his shit out, and I'll shut him down in due time. He's just being an asshole."

"You can turn around now," Kate said. She was in her pajamas and holding her shower supplies. "Just be careful, all right? I don't want you getting hurt."

"I don't want me getting hurt either," I said, "but I'm used to swimming with the sharks of Blackwell. Everything's fine, Kate. The most important thing is you and Dana, and I think that's going great." I shot her a pointed look. "Though it'd be going even better if you took the alone time I keep trying to give you."

Kate made a face at me in return. "I told you, it's more fun if you're around."

"Bet you didn't think you'd be saying that a couple of months ago, huh?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm not sure. I think you always had the potential to be a good friend, you just needed a little help. I'm glad that you saw the light."

"Yeah, yeah, regular born-again not-jackass, right here," I said, shuffling awkwardly.

Kate smiled, filling me with warmth, as she drifted over to pet Alice one last time through the top of her cage. "Should we go?"

"Hang on, I've got something important to do." I stepped over quickly to Alice's cage, causing Kate to squeak and step back as I invaded her personal space. Reaching in, I gave the rabbit a little pat behind the ears. Jesus, she was soft. With a grin, I stepped back and opened the door. "All right, I'm good. Let's roll. You seriously need that shower."

Kate bumped me with her shoulder as she stepped out. "Mean. Go get your books. We'll meet up in about ten minutes?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

***

" _The Kiss_ , Klimt, early 20th century," I said, restraining a yawn. " _Garden of Earthly Delights_ , Bosch, 16th century. It's total bullshit that we have to know art from all over history like this, by the way."

"I... kind of agree," Kate said as she shuffled the cards. "I realize that it's a high school course, so we can't get too specific, but it seems a little ambitious to cover _all_ of art history in one class." She held up another card.

I took one look and started snickering. "Oh, that one is easy. _Black Iris III_ , Georgia O'Keeffe, early 20th century. Totally not a vagina at all."

Kate flipped the card over, puzzling at the image for a moment before flushing. "Oh dear Lord, I never saw that."

I sat back on Dana's couch, cackling. "O'Keeffe always said her flower paintings were supposed to be just flowers, but come the fuck on. That's totally a vag."

"Y'know, that reminds me," Dana commented, looking up from the book she was poring over at her desk. "Something else from the movie last night. So the movie had this motif of flower language running through it, right?"

I looked up, dredging up plot points from my memory. "Sure. 'Lilies mean I dare you to love me', right? And the last-chance flower?"

"And the asshole with the hydrangeas," Dana said with a nod. "So there's a whole gay love story with flower symbolism. And yet, not once in the whole movie, do they make a single joke about orchids."

"Orchids...?" Kate asked. "Is this another...?"

"Yeah, it's another flowers-that-look-like-vaginas thing," I said. "Orchids are kind of a symbol of lesbians. And if I remember right, _Imagine Me & You_ was originally going to be depressingly straight. That's probably why they didn't go for the orchid jokes."

"What, it was just going to be about some girl leaving her husband for another dude?" Dana made a face. "That's lame. The whole reason Rachel didn't seem like a total asshole was because she'd be living a lie with her husband; removing the identity angle just makes her an asshole."

"I'm not sure that's quite right," Kate said thoughtfully. "That's part of why I was wondering if she was a lesbian or bisexual. If she's gay, then you're right; she could never truly love her husband, so leaving is the only right choice. But if she's bisexual, then leaving for Luce is just the same as leaving for another man. The important part is that she didn't actually betray her husband; she was prepared to stay with him, but he didn't want to hold her down." She hesitated a moment, then said, "but the story does become a lot more boring if it's just a woman torn between two men."

"Agreed," I said. “I mean, in either case, Dudebro did the right thing.”

“'Dudebro'?” Kate asked with a raised eyebrow. “You mean Heck?”

“Jesus, that was actually his name? I feel like 'Dudebro' is more dignified.” I shook my head. “Anyway, regardless of Rachel's preferences, he did the best thing he could for her. She didn't love him, but he did love her. And because he loved her, he just wanted her to be happy. The best way he could express that was by stepping aside.” As I spoke, I could feel how painfully relevant that line of thought was. I hadn't exactly been in the running for Dana's affections, but even if I had been, stepping aside for Kate was the best thing I could do.

“I gotta say,” Dana commented, “if Rachel was bi, though missed a trick. They could've had them settle on a romantic threesome—just let Rachel be with both of them. Now _that_ would've been a ballsy movie to put out there.”

I struggled to come up with an appropriate answer, when I was interrupted by my phone ringing. Glancing at the screen, I saw the dopey anime art that Brooke used for her Facebook icon. "Ugh, gotta take this. You kids have fun."

I stepped out into the hallway, flipping the call on. I didn't get a word out before I heard in stereo, "Where the fuck are you?"

"I'm over by Dana's room," I said, and hung up as Brooke popped her head around a corner. "What are you—Agh, shit!"

"Shut up," Brooke snapped; she'd grabbed me by the jacket and was dragging me down to her room. "We need to talk privately."

She didn't let me go until she'd closed and locked her door behind us. I grumbled as I straightened out my clothes, glancing around the room. Game posters. Art prints. Anime figurines. Books. A computer with two monitors. Brooke's drone napping in a charging station. About what I expected. Plus a lava lamp in the corner; neat. "What the fuck was that all about?"

"I could ask the same of you." Brooke folded her arms, glaring over her glasses at me. "We made a deal. Max breaks Warren's heart, Warren rebounds to me, I do Victoria's homework. Isn't that right?"

"Uh, yeah? I was there earlier. Max did her part. So what are you so pissed at me about?"

"I just had a long talk with Warren. He had a lot to say, very little of which actually made much sense. But I have to say, I'm not satisfied with the result."

"He's definitely not mooning after Max anymore. If you failed to reel him in on the rebound, that's your problem, not mine."

Brooke shook her head. "No, see, that's the problem. You're right. He's not mooning after Max anymore. In fact, he says he's not interested in dating anyone. Not until he's grown up as a person, anyway. It was all very mature and reasonable. But that's not what we agreed to."

My brow furrowed. "So you're pissed that your boy-toy grew up a little? Did you seriously want him acting like a brat?"

"I wanted him to be amenable to me, not to swear off women for the rest of his Blackwell career." Brooke's scowl deepened. "The thing is, I can't even blame Max. No, Max just discouraged him. He said he was considering asking me out even as she was dressing him down. But then you! You stepped in, and told him to talk to me. And don't you know, it was _your_ input that made him think about how _unfairly_ he's treated me. How he'd, and I quote, 'hurt me with his immaturity'. And that's why I just agreed to be just friends with him, because that's all he wants."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Jesus Christ. Okay, you're pissed because your game is too weak for him, and now you're blaming me. I think the dark dirty secret is that he just isn't that into you, Brooke." Seriously, she was dodging a fucking bullet here, not that she was likely to accept that argument at the moment. Brooke could do way better than a love-sick baby-faced nerd.

Unsurprisingly, she didn't take my comment well. "Fuck you, Taylor. Deal's off. Victoria can sit and spin."

"So you're welshing? Because you think I sabotaged you? Classy, Brooke. Glad I can fucking count on you. You realize I'm going to have to respond to this at some point, right?"

She snorted. "What are you going to do, whine about me to your Vortex Club friends? Like I give a shit what they think. Bring it, bitch. You've got no leverage over me. Hell, if you tell anyone about this, they're going to think you're the asshole for playing with other people's lives so that Victoria can get out of doing her own dirty work."

I flinched. She had a point, but I couldn't very well tell her that. "Y'know, for a little bit there, I thought you might be okay. Just goes to show me, huh?" I straightened, glaring down at her. "You'll fucking regret this, b—" I couldn't finish the sentence, as a memory flicked through my head. Courtney cringing and sobbing as Victoria hissed similar words at her...

I couldn't do this. Without finishing my sentence, I turned and fumbled with the lock, getting out of Brooke's room as fast as I could.

My mind whirled as I stumbled down the hallway. Shit shit shit fuck fuck fuckity fuck fuck. If Brooke didn't do Victoria's assignment, Victoria wouldn't calm down. If Victoria didn't calm down, she wouldn't forgive Courtney. If Courtney went unforgiven, then the clique I'd spent over two years carefully guiding to the top of Blackwell's social hierarchy would fall apart. Victoria couldn't be Queen Bitch without her support network; Courtney and I couldn't be the Beta Bitches without an alpha to pull us up.

Everything was falling apart.

I didn't bother to knock as I barged into Victoria's room. She looked up in surprise, setting aside her textbook. "Taylor? What's going on? You look like someone ran over your dog."

"Brooke bitched out," I blurted. "She's not going to do your paper."

A long silence lingered in the air between us, the whitening of Victoria's knuckles as her fists clenched her only visible reaction. After a few moments, she took a deep breath and asked, "Did Brooke say why she's backing out? I thought you had it handled, Taylor."

"I did. I got her what she wanted. But she fucked it up, and she got pissy, so she's backing out of the deal."

"What was the deal?"

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. We can deal with it later. The important thing is, she's not doing your paper."

Vic closed her eyes and took a deep breath, giving me a stiff nod. I sat on her bed, leaning over with my elbows on my knees. "You're right," she said, "the important thing is the paper. Who else can we tap? There has to be someone."

I stared at Victoria, running my mind through the database of Blackwell students that lived in my head. "I'm... I'm not sure. We can still check with Stella, maybe. But if she won't do it..." I took a deep breath. I hated giving Victoria bad news, but it had to be said. "Then you may just have to do it yourself."

"Taylor, I have two fucking days and no idea how to do this project. How the fuck am I supposed to just do it myself?"

"I don't fucking know, Victoria!" I snapped, my pent-up rage boiling over. "Maybe if you'd done your own fucking homework for the last year and hadn't just treated Courtney like your goddamned slave, you wouldn't be in this fucking mess!"

WAIT, FUCK.

I slapped a hand to my mouth and stared at Victoria, whose mouth was hanging open. God. Fucking. Dammit. Why am I so stupid? Why can't I keep my fucking mouth shut?

I tentatively removed my hand from my mouth. "Shit, Victoria, I'm so sorry, I—"

She held up a hand that trembled with barely-suppressed emotion. "No, Taylor, you're right. This is my own fault. It's time for me to be a big girl and own up to it." Victoria fixed her eyes on me, apparently drilling into my soul. "I need to think about the people I spend time with, too. I have a lot of work to do. I'm sure you do too. You can go."

For fuck's sake... "Victoria..."

"Get out, T."

I stood, my knees shaking, and stepped over to the door. I stopped with my hand on the handle. Taking a deep breath, I turned back to Victoria. "Y'know, I've spent a lot of time with Kate and Max over the last few days. They keep talking about how much we've changed, how much better we are now. I was starting to think that they were right. But this? Maybe everyone else was right all along. Maybe I'm not the friend they deserve. Maybe you're not the girlfriend that Max deserves."

Her eyes narrowed. "Get. The fuck. Out."

"Sure. Just... sure." Christ, I was so fucking tired. 

I stepped outside, closing the door behind me again. I wanted to just go to my bedroom and cry myself to sleep, but my shit was in Dana's room. My feet felt like lead as I trudged down the hall and slipped inside. Dana and Kate took one look at me and immediately stood, making worried noises. "Taylor? What's wrong?" Kate asked, as Dana pulled me into her arms.

"I just... it's all falling apart," I said. My voice cracked, and before I knew what was happening, I was blubbering into Dana's shirt like an asshole.

“Oh dear,” I dimly heard Kate say. “Okay, Taylor, listen to my voice. Breathe with me. In, and out. In, and out...”

Dana guided me to the couch, and I sat sobbing for a while, Kate awkwardly rubbing my back in short rhythmic circles as she guided me through the breathing exercise. They didn't make me talk. They just let me cry.

I should have gotten up. I should have left, been alone, spared them my burdens, let them have a happy night together. But I was too tired, too weak, too mentally trashed by the day. I was in Dana's arms, and even as guilt gnawed at my gut, I never wanted to leave.

I must have fallen asleep like that, cradled by the girl I couldn't have and comforted by the girl who was better than me in every way. My last thought that I remembered before drifting off was, _How long until I fuck this up too?_

_Guess I'm doing it now._


	8. Thunderous Thursday

I couldn't remember the last time my bed felt so comfortable. Everything was soft and warm. I lay there for a while, half dozing, just enjoying the feeling and listening to the world. Rain pitter-pattered on the window, the trees outside gently rustled in the wind, soft music drifted from one of the dorms as someone got ready for the day, soft breathing came from beside me—

Wait, what?

Slowly, ever so slowly, I opened my eyes and sat up, looking around. Two things became immediately obvious.

First, this wasn't my room; this was Dana's.

Second, I wasn't alone in the bed.

Kate dozed beside me, her face angelically peaceful in sleep, her hair a loose curly mass around her head. Across the room, Dana slept on her couch, her bare feet dangling off the end. Like a wave, the memories of the night before crashed into me—Brooke's betrayal, what I'd said to Victoria, what she'd said to me, coming back here and freaking the fuck out until I passed out.

I curled up and hugged my knees, taking deep breaths. Calm down, Taylor, everything would be okay. It'd be okay. Calm the fuck down.

Kate stirred beside me and sat up, blinking sleep out of her eyes. "Taylor?"

I gave her a queasy smile. "Hey, babe. Was it as good for you as it was for me?"

My shitty attempt at a joke didn't even register as she sat up, concern on her face. "Are you feeling any better? You seemed really... down last night."

"Shit." I looked away, unconsciously fumbling for my phone. Ugh, I slept in my day clothes; now that I was more awake, I was less 'warm and cozy' and more 'sweaty and gross'. "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to spill my crap all over you and Dana. Let alone collapse here. ...Where's my phone?"

Kate reached over and picked it up from the nightstand, handing it to me. As I skimmed though the notifications, she said, "What happened? If you need to talk, I'm always here to help, Taylor."

"Bitches be crazy," I said. "Nothing for you to worry your sweet little head over." Nothing important on Facebook. Ominously, no texts from Victoria or Courtney yet, though it was admittedly still early in the morning. The only notable thing was a text from Hayden. "Need to talk. You, me, Stella, the girls. 3pm today," with an address downtown. 'The girls' probably meant Ellie and Olive, Hayden's girlfriends. Weird, but probably worth checking out; I dimly remembered Stella saying something about this the day before.

A stir from the couch made me look up, just in time to see Dana stretching. Hoo boy, _that_ was a sight worth waking up for. She stared at me with blurry eyes for a moment; I wiggled my fingers in a sheepish greeting. Then she remembered what was going on, and came over to sit on the bed with us. "Hey, Taylor. Sorry for leaving you here; you just kinda crashed last night, and Kate and I thought it'd be a bad idea to leave you alone. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," I said. I felt like I'd been saying that a lot lately. "Just some bullshit drama. Sorry that you and Kate got involved, and that you got kicked out of your bed. You totally could've left me on your couch."

"A night on the couch won't do me any harm." Dana paused and arched her back, pressing into it with a fist (I tried to avoid staring, I swear I did). "Well. No permanent harm."

"I tried to make the same argument," Kate said, "but she insisted. You're so sweet." The last was directed at Dana, along with the most stunningly love-besotted smile I've ever seen. There was an interesting sensation—it warmed my heart even as it made my stomach sank. Kate and Dana really had something special, didn't they? Something that a shithead like me could never aspire to.

Dana made a face and she waved her hand at Kate. "Oh hush. You and Taylor are tiny; it made more sense for you to share. And I figure she'd appreciate not waking up alone." Was that a wink? Did Dana wink at me? Goddammit, this 'everyone thinks that Taylor has the hots for Kate' thing was really starting to grate on my nerves.

"Well, that's all very nice," I said, "but I should get up and get ready. Finals won't study for themselves, right?" I started sliding to get out and go back to my room.

"Hang on." Dana slid to block my way off the bed, a situation that had only previously happened in my dreams. "Whatever happened last night, it wasn't just 'some drama'. It really hurt you, Taylor. And I think it's the same thing that's been bugging Victoria and Max."

Kate turned and took my hand, holding it while looking into my eyes. "Come on, Taylor," she said gently, "you can talk to us. You aren't alone. Maybe we can help, if only to make you feel better."

I looked back and forth between them, Dana's gaze intense and Kate's sad. I considered telling them. Really, I did. I could spill my guts, rat out Victoria's shittery, confess my sins, get some sympathy and support from these two beautiful girls as I sold out my best friend and pretended I was the victim in this situation.

I could do that, but that'd require me to be a decent human who wasn't choking on her own deep-set emotional constipation.

“I can't.”

"Why not?" Kate asked.

"I just fucking can't, okay?” I stood abruptly, forcing myself out of Dana's attempt to grab me. I swooped up my bag and stormed out of the room, ignoring Dana and Kate's voices behind me. My teeth ground as I forced down the tears that stung the corners of my eyes.

There would be no absolution for me. No confession, no sympathetic ears, no shoulders to cry on, no warm arms promising me safety. Nor should there be. I didn't deserve any of it. Kate had gotten into a bed with a monster, and the best thing I could do was walk away before she paid the price for her mistake.

I ran into Stella on my way back to my room. If she noticed my fairly obvious emotional distress, she ignored it as she asked, “Hey, did you get Hayden's message?”

“Yeah, yeah, meeting at three. What the fuck did you want to talk about, anyway?” Okay, that was harsher than I intended. I could hear my voice cracking with emotion.

“Just a little Faustian bargain for you. Don't worry about it,” she answered. Stella gave me one last look, then reached into the pocket of her hoodie and pulled something out, shoving it into my hand before walking away.

A tissue. How very fucking thoughtful of her. Jesus Christ, like I didn't have enough other bullshit going on.

***

Art history exams are fucking bullshit. The class was, of course, laser-focused on just _Western_ art, with barely a nod to any other culture. Even still, 'Western art' covers about five thousand years of works covered in laborious detail in our classes.

Somehow, despite all the shit going on and the stupid parameters, I walked out feeling like I did pretty well on my test. Go me.

Emotional drama is goddamned exhausting, though, and I felt my feet dragging as I walked through downtown Arcadia Bay. I still had a meeting with Stella and Hayden, apparently. I had no idea that they wanted to talk about, but they reached out so rarely that whatever it was was probably important. Besides, Victoria wasn't exactly being proactive on the 'spying on the Vortex Club for Dana-rivals' front, so this was a chance to pick up the slack.

I checked my phone as I walked. Various threatening text messages had come in while I was in my test. “Back the fuck off Dana,” Logan helpfully reminded me; “I'm still waiting for my comeuppance,” Brooke taunted. I didn't really care about either of them; much more worrying was Victoria's simple “Due tomorrow”. Jesus. I could deal with this shit after seeing what Hayden and Stella needed.

The address took me to a tacky little souvenir shop buried between two much larger buildings. Keychains dangled from hooks, snowglobes sat on shelves, T-shirts swung on their hooks as I opened the door. A doddering white woman with curly brown hair and thick glasses gave me a smile as I stepped in. "Hello, dear! How can I help you?"

"Uh." I looked around. Nope, no teenagers in sight. "I'm looking for Hayden and Stella?"

"Hayden and...?" The woman's brow furrowed, then she grinned. "Oh, you must be one of Ellie's friends! I was expecting you. They're upstairs; let me just show you the way up."

A hidden door and a trip up steep, narrow steps later, I found myself in a cozy little home on top of the shop. A small kitchen opened out onto a sitting room, and here were the teenagers--Hayden lounging on a couch, Olive lying down with her legs sprawled across Hayden's lap, Stella in a big worn recliner that made her look tiny, and Ellie puttering around with mugs of tea. She gave the woman a smile, a hug, and a "Thanks, Aunt Prudence!" before the shopkeeper departed, leaving us alone.

I took the liberty of moving to a smaller chair and sitting down, looking around at the group. "Nice place," I told Ellie. "Not what I expected, though."

Ellie responded with a shrug as she set down the mugs. She sat back next to Hayden, adjusting her glasses. "Aunt Prudence was always a little weird. She got as much of Granddad's estate as my mom did, but she just wants to keep her little shop. She's still cool, though."

I sat back and took a moment to take stock of everyone. Ellie was one of the richer kids at school—not a Prescott by any means, but who was? A tight dark ponytail and square glasses gave her a severe look, only softened by her usual proximity to the generally-chill Hayden. The other girl in their trio, Olive, had let her pale blonde hair spill out over the couch's arm. Lean and wiry, she was a rising star on the school's track and swimming teams. Hayden seemed comfortable in the middle of them, draping an arm around Ellie's shoulders as he watched me with half-lidded eyes. Completing the quartette, Stella leaned forward and stared at me, her fingers laced together. Something about her had always unnerved me. Stella was quiet, but she was always thinking; I always got an impression that there was a thunderstorm trapped behind her eyes waiting to spill out.

I fidgeted for a moment, letting the mugs of tea on the coffee table cool. Seriously, what was with everyone trying to shove tea onto me lately? "So," I said, "why am I here?"

"You don't start with small questions, do you, Taylor?" Hayden asked with a chuckle.

Olive swung her legs out of Hayden's lap and straightened up with a stretch. "No point mincing words," she said, then gave me a pointed look. "We know what you're doing."

"Yeah?" I raised an eyebrow. "You'll have to be more specific. I do a lot of shit."

"You're helping set up Kate with Dana," Stella said.

"You tried to set Logan against Evan and the skater bros, but it blew up on you and now he's pissed at you," Ellie said.

"Victoria and Courtney are at odds over Victoria's bitchiness, and you're caught in the middle after failing to manipulate Max, Brooke, and Warren to make up for it," Olive said.

I looked around, gaping at the group. How the fuck did they...? "Is there anything else you'd like to accuse me of?" I asked, blustering hard.

The four of them glanced among each other, then Stella raised her hand. "I'm pretty sure you want to fuck both Kate and Dana, and you're still trying to sort that mess out in your head."

I jumped up to my feet. "Okay, this is stupid. I'm going to go."

Olive rolled her eyes and stood, blocking my way out. "Oh, sit down. We're here to help you."

"Help?" I asked. "With what? More bullshit speculation? I've got plenty to do without listening to this horseshit."

"If you spend this whole thing being guarded and paranoid, we're not going to get anywhere," Olive said. "We're throwing you a rope; just take the damn thing."

My teeth ground, but I stepped back and sat down again. "So you're going to have to rewind and start from scratch if you're going to make this worth my time. What makes you think I'm doing all this, and why do you care?”

"We know what you probably think of us," Ellie said as Olive sat back down. "Hayden and his little harem? Stella the recluse?" She smirked at my grudging nod. "We like to let people think of us that way. It lets people think they have us categorized, so they don't have to worry about us. But between the four of us, we know everyone in the school. We can always find someone we're on good terms with. Someone who owes us a favor. Someone who needs something and is willing to do anything for it."

"That's..." I was going to say that the idea was absurd, but I stopped. Memories of my years in Blackwell flicked through my head. I prided myself in my knowledge of the school's social networks, but there were always times when something would shift out from under me unexpectedly. Two people would get together that I didn't think even knew each other; someone's social prestige would suddenly wax overnight with no apparent cause; someone would fall into disgrace as their embarrassing secrets leaked out. I'd half suspected that there might be some unseen force in Blackwell's student politics, providing pushback in a way that I couldn't predict. I even had a name for them.

"Are you trying to tell me that you're the Second Foundation?"

Hayden, Olive, and Ellie gave me blank looks. Stella reacted with a facepalm. "Fucking seriously? You used an Asimov reference for us?"

"Courtney came up with it," I said defensively. "I barely know what it means, but it kinda stuck. Anyway, that's not the point. I just find it hard to believe that you four are some kind of shadowy puppetmasters behind the scenes at Blackwell."

"To be fair, it's mostly the girls," Hayden said with a lazy shrug. "I'm here to make them look good. But you'd be surprised how much people let slip near the stoner jock and his girlfriends, or the quiet nerd in the corner. You and Victoria and Rachel, you get in everyone's face with your influence, so everyone knows about you. We like to stay more in the background."

"Just think of how much Max Caulfield has integrated herself into the school," Ellie said. "The girl doesn't even know it, but she's tied to all of Blackwell's major players. If she wanted to, she could turn everything upside down; hell, she kinda has by dating Victoria. But no one would notice her because she's so quiet."

I rolled that idea around in my head. It made a certain amount of sense. Max had an uncanny ability to ingratiate herself with people; she was just natively likable. Transfer that to the four other people in the room... Hayden was universally regarded as a chill guy to hang out with. Ellie and Olive blended into the background as part of his entourage. Everyone knew and bought from Stella, but no one knew her well.

Shit. I could feel the balance of power equations shifting in my head with the new information, and the new results made way too much sense.

"So let's say for a second that I believe you," I said. "Let's say you have the pull to help me with some of my problems. That still doesn't explain why you would."

"We're just good Samaritans?" Hayden suggested with a shrug and a smile. He chuckled at my rolled eyes and gestured toward Stella.

She adjusted her glasses as she spoke. "We enjoy a particular status quo at Blackwell that serves all our interests. Queen bee Victoria drawing attention and ire while keeping Nathan from freaking out, the jocks kept in check and focused on each other, Max and Kate and the other quiet kids largely left alone to just do their thing. Barring an out-of-context problem like a teacher meddling with school society, things are pretty stable. There's the occasional wobble from a wild-card like Rachel, but we can generally keep things from going out if control. But if Victoria's posse falls apart, or Logan starts getting unruly, or Max starts feeling like she needs to pull her own strings..." She shrugged. "It's hard to predict what will happen after that. And we don't like that uncertainty."

"And that's not even getting into the chaos now that Dana is single," Ellie said with a snort. "The most eligible bachelorette in school suddenly going on the market? That'd be disruptive enough even if it weren't for all this other shit."

"Believe me, I know," I said with a groan.

"Yeah, we noticed you were in the eye of the storm," Olive said. "It's impressive, really, that you've been able to keep everything together as long as you have."

Ellie nodded. "Yeah. We've always known you were a bigger player than you let on. But even we underestimated how important you'd be."

"Uh, thanks," I said with a frown. "But I feel like I've just been fucking everything up."

"Only so much you can do by yourself, babe," Hayden said with a smile. "That's why we thought it's time you got some backup."

I rolled it over in my head for a moment. "That does sound nice. One more question, then: What's it going to cost me?"

Ellie nodded to Stella. "You're right, she is smart." She then turned back to me. "Like we said, a lot of this is in our own interests, so we don't want much. We're willing to work in good faith. All we want in return is that you remain open to assisting us in the future."

"So you help me, I become your patsy?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Jesus, harsh," Olive said. "It's just a favor for a favor in the future. You make that kind of deal all the time, right?"

"I hate to say it, but we do also have a stick to go with the carrot," Ellie said. "Everything's easier if you work with us, but we're going to try to settle everything down anyway. We're just not guaranteed to make everything work out in a way you like." She held up her hands like she was weighing something on a scale. "So. You work with us, you owe us a favor, but we help you get the optimal result to your troubles. You don't work with us, we fix your troubles, but you may not like the result. Your choice."

I glared around the room at the other four, thinking. I had to admit, they'd trapped me nicely. If they had the kind of influence I thought they did, then they could be a huge boon, and I didn't doubt their ability to fuck with me if I refused. After everything I'd done to the people closest to me, I couldn't really afford any more enemies. Relucantly, I nodded. "Fine, I'll do it."

Stella raised a hand. "Sorry, I have one more requirement before I'll help." She locked eyes with me, the storm behind them in full rage. "Kate is my best friend. She's probably the best person in this whole fucking school. No matter what happens, you have to promise that her well-being will take priority."

I leaned back, struck by the emotion in Stella's usually-quiet voice. Without thinking, I answered, "Of course. It always has."

Stella nodded and leaned back, a rare smile on her lips. "All right. Let's get to work."

***

The following meeting proved productive. The Second Foundation—they seemed to like the name, though Stella had to explain what the hell it meant—seemed confident that they could get Logan's shit sorted out. Courtney was harder; no one seemed terribly sympathetic to Victoria's plight, which was understandable, and they agreed that Courtney would need to come to her own terms with things. Getting someone to help Victoria was a tall order, but a lost round of rock-paper-scissors with Stella later, Ellie agreed to do what she could.

That left me with Kate and Dana. Stella was well in the loop, as Kate had confided to her frequently over the weekend. "Honestly, they're doing good," she told me. "Keep on keeping on, and you'll be fine. We'll make sure none of the douchebros bother you."

So my burdens felt a little lighter as I made my way back onto campus, doing my best to ignore the light drizzle on my umbrella. Sure, I'd barged out on Kate and Dana, Victoria was still pissed at me, I was a terrible friend to Courtney, Brooke was still sitting pretty with her betrayal...

Okay, things were still rough. But I wasn't facing them alone anymore. Hopefully.

The splashing of boots in water next to me made me look up. Juliet gave me a cold smile. "Having a good day, Taylor?"

"It was getting better," I said carefully. "What's up?"

"I'm just wondering about that interview. Any news?"

Jesus fuck, I'd just about forgotten. This was the week from hell. I pinched the bridge of my nose with my free hand. "All right, I'm going to level with you. Victoria's been having a shitty few days. So I don't think the interview is going to happen. Sorry about that."

"Well, that sucks." Juliet frowned. "That does mean I won't be able to help you with Dana. Sorry, but a deal's a deal."

"Sure, that's fine. I know how this works." Things seemed to be going pretty well with Dana as-is, but Juliet didn't need to know that.

"Anything you can tell me about what's happening? Trouble in Vortex Club paradise?"

I shot her a scowl. "Not at liberty to say." A thought came to mind, and I spoke again before she could continue bugging me. "So how long have you known about Dana's Wicca thing?"

"Oh, she told you?" Juliet smirked. "I hoped the crystal thing wasn't giving away too much. And she tells me everything, so I heard about it as soon as she started going to the meetings with Ms. Grant. I was kinda worried about it at first, but it really helped her get over her—Uh." She came to a dead stop, causing me to walk past her for a few seconds before I'd realize the change. "Uh, her breakup. Yeah."

I gave Juliet a weird look. "Ooookay, whatever. So you don't think it's weird? Doing magic and shit?"

"I mean, no more weird than anything else, right? I'm celebrating a holiday that's mostly about a bunch of lamp oil lasting longer than anyone thought it would. Faith is complicated. The beliefs, the stories, the morals—they're each kinda their own thing, but it all gets wrapped in together. I have a menorah, Kate has a cross, Dana has scented candles. Ultimately, who gives a shit about what you worship? That's between you and God. Or the gods. Or the uncaring cosmos."

"Fair enough." I peeked out from under my umbrella. "Rain's letting up a bit. Good luck with finals."

"You too."

We parted ways, and I headed into the Prescott dorms, shaking my damp umbrella off in the entrance and adding to the building's pervasive dank, musty smell. The odor was just a permanent problem during winter. I was on my way to my dorm room when my phone buzzed with a text from Dana.

_You doing okay?_   
**Better. Sorry for bailing earlier.**   
_It's fine, everyone needs some time alone. Sorry for prying. Are you doing the Secret Santa this year?_   
**Shit. No, sorry, I forgot all about it.**   
_That's okay! It's good, actually. Can you come by my room when you're free?_

Well that was weird. But also well-timed, as I was right next to Dana's door, so I raised my hand to knock. I had to clamp down hard to keep from laughing at her startled expression when she answered the door. "How did you...?" she asked.

"Magic," I answered, wiggling my fingers.

Dana rolled her eyes and opened the door further. "Get in here, you dork."

Kate waved at me with a cheery smile from Dana's couch, a small bag at her feet. "Hi, Taylor! I'm glad you're feeling better. Come sit next to me!"

"Uh, sure." I plopped down, looking down at the bag. "What's going on?"

"Finals are almost over, and tomorrow's going to be nuts," Dana said. "The last tests, then the Christmas party? We'll probably be busy all day. And after that, a lot of the school is taking off to go home for the holidays. So Kate and I were talking, and we decided to do a little gift exchange today. Just the three of us."

My stomach sank. Once again, I was intruding on what could be a touching moment between Dana and Kate, and I could still feel the faint fog of unease from my departure that morning. "Why am I involved in this? Uh, I gotta tell you now, I didn't think to get you guys anything."

"That's fine. You've done so much for us already," Kate said softly.

Dana nodded. "Yeah. It's been a weird week, but it's also been a good one, and you two are a big part of it. I thought we should grab a moment of peace while we can."

"Well... Thanks," I said, sinking back into the couch. Whatever else I might think or feel about the situation, the acceptance left a warm feeling in my stomach. Everything else in my life may be falling apart, but here were two girls who would accept me for now, even if they didn't fully understand what kind of asshole they were embracing.

"Me first!" Kate said with excitement. Rummaging in her bag, she pulled out two wrapped packages and handed them to us. I gave mine a curious heft before opening it.

"A stuffed bunny?” I asked, looking over the round plush animal. It was adorable, I had to admit, with a little cartoony face; it was mostly white, with some familiar black spots. “Wait, is this supposed to be Alice?”

She nodded happily. "I know how much you like her. It's not as good as the real thing, of course, but I thought it was cute, and it would give you a friend to cuddle if you're feeling lonely.”

“Aww, thanks, Kate.” I smiled as I hugged the bunny. It'd need a new name, of course. ...Weirdly, hugging the thing did make me feel better.

Dana held up the gift she'd gotten, a thick book of photographs of 20th century dance and theater. "I've had my eye on this for months. How did you know?"

"I... might have peaked at your wishlist," Kate said with a flush on her cheeks. "I'm glad you like it, though."

"I love it!" Dana swooped in and gave Kate a bone-crushing hug. For her part, Kate seemed enraptured.

Just as I was starting to worry about Kate's ability to breathe, Dana let her got and bounded back to the desk, pulling two small packages out of the drawer. "These aren't exactly practical," she said as she came back and sat on the couch between me and Kate, "But they mean something to me. Hopefully they do to you, too."

The boxes each contained a gemstone on a thin necklace chain. Each also held an index card, where Dana had written the crystal's 'magical' properties. Mine was a weird mottled black-and-pink stone polished smooth. The card labeled it as rhodonite; apparently, it was meant to help promote peace, self-esteem, strength versus vulnerability, enabling change, and understanding one's position in the universe.

Glancing over, Kate held a small shard of smoke-grey crystal. Leaning around Dana, I read the card in her hand. 'Smokey quartz', apparently, meant to fight depression, ease the mind, help resist fear and panic and overcome negative emotions.

Kate's eyes sparkled as she held up the necklace. "Dana, it's beautiful."

Dana flushed and smiled. "I'm glad you like it. The whole healing crystal thing is... well, most people think it's bullshit. But it's not like they can hurt, right? And they're pretty."

Kate leaned into Dana, slipping an arm around her waist to give her a hug. "If you care about it, then I care about it. And just thinking about this gift will help me ease the mind, even if the crystal itself doesn't."

I shuffled a bit while they shared a moment. Did Dana just sniffle? Yeah, that was definitely a sniffle. Well, I didn't buy in to the crystal magic myself, but I wasn't about to turn down a pretty new piece of jewelry. I slipped the chain around my neck and leaned over to join the Dana sandwich with my own hug.

Kate pulled back first, leaning down to her bag. "I have one more gift for you both. And for me, if I'm being honest." Straightening, she held out a long, thin box to Dana, who took a moment to wipe her eyes before opening it.

In the box were three charms, little drawings in Kate's distinctive style laminated in thick clear plastic. I recognized two of the designs right away—a little rabbit with a cross necklace and a bun, and a cartoony lioness wearing Dana's necklace. The third one took a moment to recognize: a crow, its beak held up high to the side and with a little anthropomorphic smile, with a familiar crescent-moon necklace draped over its chest.

"Is this supposed to be me?" I asked, picking up the crow and looking at it closer. It was a stupid question; of course the crow was supposed to be me. It was hard to believe that Kate had honored me with my own cartoon icon, though.

Kate nodded, smiling. "Your drawing on Dana's tablet last week gave me the idea. I had some trouble thinking of the animal for you, but once I did, it was pretty quick to make the charms; I had a friend help."

"They're super cute, Kate," Dana said, picking up the lioness. "Just like you." Kate's blush was a sight to behold.

I mocked a pout. "Is this your way of calling me a birdbrain?"

"Um." It took Kate a moment to recover her composure. "Only in a manner of speaking. Crows have a bad reputation, but it's totally unearned. They're really smart and sociable; they make friends and are loyal to their mates and their families. They're really sweet, clever birds, but don't get enough credit for that. Just like you."

"...Well damn, Kate." I turned away from her and picked up my purse, fiddling with putting the charm on the strap so that she wouldn't see my own red face.

"Thank you so much," Dana said, giving Kate another hug. As I sat up, she grabbed me and pulled me into the hug too. "Merry Christmas, you nerds."

"Who're you calling a nerd, nerd?" I protested weakly, returning the hug. "Jesus. I feel like a supersized asshole now. You two put a lot of thought into these, and I got you nothing. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"There's no pressure, Taylor," Kate said gently. "Your friendship is already a gift."

"Okay, even I have to say this is getting too sappy," Dana said. She stood again and went to her computer, putting on some poppy Christmas music. "It's time for old Christmas movies and hanging out with friends."

"Shouldn't we be studying?" Kate asked. "We do still have one more day of finals, after all."

"Way to be a buzzkill," I said with a grin. "I'll go grab my books. We can study while we watch movies."

Needless to say, basically no studying happened; we were too busy making fun of ancient claymation reindeer and Charlie Brown's stupid Christmas stick. The whole time, I dreaded that Kate or Dana would try to ask me about why I'd been so upset that morning, but it never came. They didn't feel a need to make me talk. As the sun set and thunder started to roll outside, Dana pulled out a blanket and insisted we all cuddle up under it; in that cocoon was a sensation of warmth and safety I'm not sure I'd ever felt before.

Was this what real friendship felt like? Real affection, unburdened by the pressures of status and cliquishness?

...Was this what love felt like?

***

I tread softly down the dormitory hallway. It was late—way later than any of us had intended to stay in Dana's room—and I suspected at least one Prescott dorm resident would be inclined to murder me if I interrupted her beauty sleep the day before our last finals. Lights under doors indicated where students were cramming what information they could into their heads.

I jumped in surprise as the door next to me suddenly opened, and Ellie slipped out of Victoria's room. She gave me a surprised look as she shut the door behind her. "Hey, Taylor. You're out late,” she whispered.

"Same to you," I said softly in return. "You were helping Victoria?"

"Ugh. Yeah." Ellie pushed her glasses up to rub her eyes. "I have no idea how you put up with her. She's such a goddamn prima donna."

"She's just like that when she's stressed. She's honestly a sweetheart once you get to know her, really." Like when your mom was in the hospital yet again for surgery and you needed support. But I didn't need to unload that on Ellie right then.

"I'm not sure I'd believe you, except that I don't think Max would stay with a total bitch. Whatever. We got the labwork done earlier, and Victoria's writing the report now."

"She's writing it herself?" I asked, surprised.

"I sure as hell wasn't going to do all the work. Jesus, that was a long argument. If she fucks it up, it's on her." Ellie sighed, shaking her head. "Girl doesn't know shit about science, which isn't too surprising based on what you told us. She'll get the grade she gets and fucking deal with it."

"That's fair. Thanks so much for helping as much as you did."

"Hopefully it's worth it. Now I need to get the fuck home and get some sleep." She waved and departed, leaving me to finish the trip back to my room alone.

I lay down on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. Everything would be coming to a head tomorrow. Victoria's paper, and whatever she planned to do about me and Courtney. Kate and Dana's relationship, which seemed about to bloom if I could stop getting involved. If Logan was going to make a move, it would probably be Friday before everyone left for the holidays. Brooke, Max, Warren—they seemed mostly resolved, but it was hard to tell if something new might happen. Some part of me said Brooke still needed to pay for her treachery, but mostly I was tired. So tired. Would it really be so bad to let someone get away with it for once?

I sighed and shuffled around, getting into my pajamas as I put the thoughts out of my head. What happened, happened. At this point, my friendship with Dana and Kate was secure. As far as I was concerned, that was quickly becoming the only thing that mattered.


	9. The Fuckery Finished on a Friday

For whatever reason, I'm not a huge fan of going to sleep. I have no explanation; I just find that there's usually something more interesting or important to do than lie in a bed for a while and go unconscious. That probably went a long way toward explaining my relatively sleepless finals week. Worrying about the future wasn't exactly fun, but it did feel more productive than just sleeping.

Once I was asleep, though, I was loathe to wake up. So after my late night with Kate and Dana, the following morning wasn't exactly a party. I had one last final early in the morning, which meant waking up even earlier to get ready. So it was a grumpy, bleary-eyed Taylor that walked out of the classroom before noon. Normally, I would've been elated that finals were over. But at that moment, all I wanted was caffeine and a nap. 

Or maybe to spend more time with Dana and Kate? 

Dammit, Taylor; they needed their alone time, no matter what Kate said.

My train of thought went flying off the rails when I turned a corner and saw Victoria in the Blackwell hallway, sitting on the floor against a wall hugging her legs. Her eyes were red and watery, but her mascara was entirely on point; either she had come to the verge of tears recently without crossing over, or she had cried and had a chance to clean up since. Still, I hadn't seen a public display of vulnerability like this from her in years. Only by the fact that it was the last day of finals kept the hallway empty enough that this wasn't a total spectacle.

In that moment, I forgot about my anger at Victoria, about her anger at me, about the frustrations of the last week. All I saw was my friend having a hard time, and my instincts kicked in. I knelt down and offered her a hand. "Hey, Vic. Let's go hang out in your room? Celebrate finals being over?"

Victoria looked up at me, and for a moment I saw a flash of resentment in her eyes—presumably, as she remembered our argument two days before. Then the rage died, and she nodded, taking my hand and letting me drag her back to the Prescott dorms.

The trip was silent, and filled with tension that only grew as I started up a pot of coffee. Finally, Victoria sighed and spoke. "I finished my chem paper. Turned it in this morning."

"That's good," I said. I didn't turn to face her, afraid I'd give away some tell. "Did you get help on it?"

"Yeah. Ellie came by—y'know, one of Hayden's girlfriends. Said she was paying back a favor to you?"

"Oh yeah, we talked a little yesterday." Technically correct, the best kind of correct. "I'm glad that's over with. Bet it's a relief for you."

"Yeah. I don't think it was very good, but it's fucking done, at least." I handed Victoria a mug—just the way she liked it, a bit of milk and a splash of Bailey's—and we sat for a bit, sipping in silence for a few minutes. Eventually, Victoria said, "I told Max."

"Told her what?"

"About what happened with Courtney. Our... arrangement. About what a fucking asshole I am."

I gaped at Victoria. No wonder she looked so bad; that conversation couldn't have been easy. Her eyes were brimming with tears again as she stared into her mug. "Holy shit."

"Yeah. Ellie said I should. Gave me a pretty convincing argument, about trust and our relationship and shit. But she didn't, like, make me do it in exchange for her help. I chose to do it myself." Victoria slammed back her makeshift Irish coffee, putting the empty mug down on her nightstand with a hard 'thunk'. "You know the fucked up part? Max wasn't even mad. She was just... disappointed."

I cringed. "Ouch. Are you two still... uh..." Shit, there was no way to phrase this delicately.

"We're still together," Vic said, rescuing me. "I think. She said she was proud of me for telling her; that we need a long talk, but that she loved me and the person I was coming." Now the tears were genuinely flowing, but they were accompanied by a tiny smile. "I lucked the fuck out, Sweet T. My girlfriend is the best."

"Yeah, she's pretty good," I said, "for looking like a little boy."

We shared a weak chuckle, then shared the bottle of Bailey's. For the moment, thing were like they used to be—peaceful, friendly, with little barbs that we knew weren't really meant to hurt. Our little drinking session was interrupted before we could get much more than a mild buzz going, as both our phones got a text message at once.

It was from Courtney. "We need to talk. Meet in my room at 5:00, or there will be consequences."

"Well shit, that's ominous," I said. I looked up at Victoria. "You planning to go?"

She stared at her phone, a hand running through her hair and mussing up the perfect blonde bangs. After a moment, she sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I guess. I'm too fucking tired for this shit right now, though, and a little too drunk."

"We have some time," I said. "Take a nap, you'll sober up and feel better. Drink some water, too."

Vic rolled her eyes at me. "Sure thing, Mom." With a more serious expression, she continued, "you should rest too. You look like you haven't slept all week."

I fucking felt like it, too. "Sorry, shit to do. Need to see a man about a thing, and I should probably help Dana with the party prep for tonight." I stood and stretched, trying to will the alcohol out of my system. "Sleep tight, all right?"

"Sure." Victoria hesitated a second, then stood and strode over, grabbing me in a tight hug; she had nothing on Dana in terms of strength, but my ribs still felt like they were groaning under the pressure. "Thanks, Taylor. Sorry I've been such a bitch."

I carefully returned the hug, patting Vic's mussed-up hair. "I've dealt with worse. Tell Max thanks for me, all right?"

"Yeah." She let me go, then flopped down on her bed, not bothering to take off her clothes. She was snoring before I'd shut the door behind me. 

There were still issues there that needed to be sorted out, and everything might go to hell when we met with Courtney. But at that moment, things seemed to be looking up.

***

I focused on my phone as I went back to the school building, my bag loaded down with library books that I no longer needed (art history books are ridiculously fucking big). I sent Ellie a 'thank you' message, and I got a wink and a kissy emoji in return; I was not about to try reading into that. I was in the middle of typing a message to Dana asking about the Christmas party when I walked into a wall.

Not a wall. A person. Oh shit, I'd just walked into Logan.

My body tensed, ready to bolt if he tried anything. To my surprise, though, he just knelt down and picked up my fallen phone, handing it to me. Was that... was that chagrin on his face?

"Taylor. I was looking for you," he said.

"Uh." I took the phone limply. "What'd I do this time?"

"No, not like that. I, uh, I need to apologize to you."

"What."

Logan ran a hand through his crew cut, looking incredibly awkward. "For Tuesday. I said some stupid shit. I'm sorry."

"Um. O... kay..." I looked around, half expecting to see a hidden camera. "Where's this coming from? You seemed pretty pissed then."

He frowned at me, face settling back into a much more familiar expression of constipated masculine anger. "Yeah, and I'm fucking sorry, all right? I just... I'm sick of everyone thinking I'm an asshole, and the best way to fix it is to not be an asshole. Anyway. Have a good break." And then he shuffled off to God-knows-where.

My phone, forgotten, buzzed in my hand. I looked down in surprise. The text was from Hayden: "You're welcome."

I spotted him under the awning to the school hall, a big lazy grin on his face. He stepped out and met me halfway, looking completely at ease. "Told you I'd get it sorted."

"The fuck did you do?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it. Logan's not that bad a guy. He just needs someone to point him in the right direction sometimes. Plus the occasional baking session.” He pantomimed taking a pull from a blunt. “I heard Ellie took care of Victoria's problem?"

"Yeah, I just texted her about it." I frowned, pulling up the message again and showing him. "Does she do the flirty shit with everyone?"

"Only people she thinks are hot. Which you are."

"Uh..."

Hayden chuckled. "Don't worry, we don't mean anything by it. Unless you're interested, in which case, hit us up. Or just Ellie and Olive; that's more your speed, right?"

"Why the fuck does everyone think I'm gay?"

"Aren't you?"

I threw my hands in the air. "I don't even fucking know anymore!"

"That's probably the most honest answer anyone can give," he said with a laugh. "Like I said, hit them up if you're interested. Or maybe think about us when you're figuring out what to do with Kate and Dana. Me and Ellie and Olive, we got a good thing going, and not enough people give it a fair shake." Hayden glanced at his phone. "All right, I gotta get going. Stay cool, Taylor."

"Sure. You too, Hayden. And thanks again."

"Not a problem." He gave me a lazy wave as he wandered off, leaving me to start again to the library.

Me, Kate, and Dana? Sounded like a dream, honestly. No, not a dream; a fantasy. Something that never could happen, and probably shouldn't happen. Kate and Dana would be a great relationship. Whatever Hayden said, I'd just find a way to fuck it up if I tried to insert myself into the equation.

It was a nice thought, though.

***

"A little bit higher, a liiiiittle bit more... There, that's good."

I handed a thumbtack up to Dana, and quietly took the opportunity to admire her outstretched form. I was helping, really I was. Enjoying a bit of eye candy was a worthwhile reward, right?

I helped her down from the stepladder, and she turned to admire our handiwork. This was the fourth banner hanging in the Blackwell gym. The other three said "Merry Christmas!", "Happy Hannukah!", "Happy Kwanzaa!"; this one was a generic "Happy Holidays!", covering any that we had missed. Are there other winter holidays? Probably. Strings of red and green lights and streamers indicated which holiday Blackwell was mostly celebrating, though.

"Thank again for volunteering," Dana said as she folded up the ladder, hoisting it over her shoulder. "It really helps to have another set of hands on something like this."

"No problem." I wasn't the only helper, but the others were busy doing other things—carting around tables, unloading food and drinks, setting up the DJ's table. This wasn't a Vortex Club extravaganza, and the drinks would be entirely non-intoxicating (until the students got their hands on the punch bowls during the event), but it was still shaping up to be a pretty good party. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too. We all need a break, and it'll be great to catch up with everyone before we all head home."

I picked up the empty box at my feet and walked with her. "So... You going to the party with anyone?"

"Juliet and I were going to get dolled up and—" Dana paused and looked down at me. "Oh, you mean, like, _with_ someone. No, not yet. How about you?"

"Huh? Of course not."

"Not even with Kate?" She had a big-ass Cheshire cat grin on her face.

I sighed and shook my head. Jesus Christ, this shit. "Fuck's sake, no. I keep telling you, that's not— Oh hey speak of the devil."

Right on cue, there was Kate, walking into the gym doe-eyed and nervous, fiddling with the rings on her fingers. Spotting us, she hustled over. "Hey, Taylor, hey Dana! Um. Dana? Can I talk to you for a little while, alone?"

Dana looked at me in surprised, then back at Kate. "Uh, sure; walk with me while I put this ladder away. You good, Taylor?"

"I'm great. Have fun, you two." As soon as Dana's back was turned, I flashed Kate a grin and a thumbs-up. She flushed and nodded, before darting off after Dana.

Well. That was that sorted. I had faith in Kate. She would stand up like a champ, ask Dana out, get a solid yes or no, and this whole headache would be over. No more messing around with Dana and Kate for me.

No more hanging out with Dana and Kate.

Fuck, that thought hurt more than I expected.

Did it need to come true, though?

I stowed the box and checked my phone. An hour and a half until I needed to meet up with Victoria and Courtney. That might be just enough time for a quick shopping trip in town. Perfect.

An hour and a half later, I walked out of my dorm room, having stowed my gifts. I found Victoria there, hovering outside the door. Her face was a hardened mask, the kind she wore when she didn't want anyone knowing her thoughts—not even me. My stomach did a flip. I'd been trying not to think about this confrontation since I got the text, but things could get very ugly, very fast.

Vic gave me a nod, and I knocked on the door.

Courtney let us in immediately. She moved stiffly, her eyebrows even more shakily applied than usual; clearly, she was nervous, but she didn't have Victoria's skill at masking emotions.

"All right, Courtney," Victoria asked, folding her arms. "What did you want."

Court took a deep breath and picked up a familiar-looking folder from her desk. It was one of my old dossiers, clearly repurposed and stuffed full of papers. "I'll be straightforward. I've been doing your dirty work for years, Victoria. Doing your homework, fucking over people you don't like, getting you pot and alcohol. All kinds of things that would ruin your reputation at best, and get you kicked out of school at worst." She held up the folder. “E-mails, texts, online posts, even some receipts. Plenty of paper evidence to bring you down.”

Victoria raised an imperious eyebrow. "That sword cuts both ways, Courtney. Anything I go down for, you go down for too."

"You're right. I would be incriminating myself too.” Courtney paused for effect, gripping the folder tight. “The difference is? I don't care. I have nothing left to lose. Plus, if I'm the one breaking the story, I can make myself look sympathetic." She thumped the folder back down on her desk and turned back toward Victoria, her hands behind her back. From my vantage point to the side, I could see that Courtney's fists were clenched tight, the knuckles white. "This isn't the only set of copies, obviously. If you come after me, it all gets out, and I will fucking destroy you."

"Hmm." Vic tapped a finger on her arm, her lips pressed tight. She was showing remarkable control, even for her. "All right, then what do you want from me?"

"Immunity. You don't come after me, I don't come after you. I'm done being your bitch, Victoria. No more homework. No more coffee runs. No more being your lackey. And if you're not happy with that, then I don't care. Because I'm done."

Courtney and Victoria locked eyes, and there was a long, tense silence. It was a ballsy play on Courtney's part. She did have plenty of dirt on Victoria, I was sure, but she was also starting from a disadvantage in a power play like this. Victoria had more experience, more ability to pull damage control, more resources to throw at Courtney in return—maybe even pin her various sins on Courtney. My friend was playing with fire.

To both my and Courtney's surprise, Victoria ended the staredown with a chuckle, relaxed shoulders, and a self-satisfied smile. "Not bad, Courtney. It took you a while, but you finally grew some fangs. I'm impressed."

Courtney shot me a puzzled look, and I shrugged in return. She looked back to Victoria and asked, "You're not mad?"

"Fuck no. You're smart, Courtney. You've always had it in you to use that to your advantage, but you were too scared to. Too weak. You were never going to hold your own in Blackwell if you were afraid to play dirty. You would always be someone's bitch, until you finally got fed up and snapped."

Courtney's mouth worked silently for a moment as she tried to process Victoria's words. "Are you telling me that all those years of doing your homework and bossing me around, you were trying to toughen me up?"

Victoria hesitated. "Well. No, I just liked having someone do my work for me. But it worked out, right? You wouldn't have shown this kind of grit when you came to Blackwell."

Courtney gaped at Victoria for a moment longer. Finally, she managed to choke out, "Oh my God, you are _such_ a bitch."

"And everyone knows it. You knew what you were getting into."

"Jesus Christ, Vic," I grumbled. "Why does Max stick with you again?"

"I told you, she likes bad girls." Victoria turned back to Courtney, head held high. "I agree to your terms. No more ordering around, no more fucking with your life." She hesitated, then sagged a little, losing some of her haughtiness. "And I'm sorry, Court. This was shitty, even for me, and it went on way too long."

Courtney took a deep breath and let it out slowly, the visible tension in her shoulders and back releasing. I could practically see the weight of her burden falling off of her. "Good. That's good. I... thank you, Victoria." She slumped down into the chair at her desk, looking away at the pile of books on her bed. "So. Uh. I guess this is... good-bye?"

"I guess so." Victoria frowned, shuffling her feet and starting to move toward the door.

"Jesus Christ, this is pathetic," I grumbled. I stepped forward and grabbed Vic, wrapping my arms around her shoulders to keep her from leaving. "Look, neither of you really wants to just split up forever, do you? That'd be dumb. Victoria is hopeless without you, Court, and we're your best friends at this school. So let's just start over, all right? Let's just be fucking friends again, like normal-ass people, just helping each other with what we're comfortable with. And Victoria does her own fucking homework. Okay?" I looked back and forth between the two of them. "Is that acceptable?"

Vic and Courtney looked at each other uneasily. Courtney was the first to nod. "I think I can live with that," she said. "I might need a little time, but... well, we have the break coming up. I think I can start fresh."

"Sure." Victoria sighed. "That's fine. I can try to be less of a bitch."

I let Victoria go and clapped my hands. "Fucking fantastic. Now come on, girls. We've got a party to dress up for, shit to celebrate, and less than an hour to do it.

"Oh fuck, I told Max I would help her get ready," Victoria said with a grimace.

Courtney's face lit up. "Oh, can I help? I've been wanting to give Max a makeover for months!"

"Great, we've got a bonding project for our new friendship. Let's get 'er in here." I   
laced my fingers and stretched, popping the joints. "We've got work to do."

Victoria stepped out to fetch her girlfriend, and Courtney bustled around pulling out her copious makeup supplies. Poor Max. She had no idea what she was getting into.

I'm not sure any of the rest of us did, either. Courtney and Victoria had given in easily. Too easily. They were probably just tired of holding onto their bitterness and resentment. But those feelings wouldn't go away so quickly. Could this renewed alliance really last? Did Victoria know how to maintain a normal friendship?

Fuck it. Those were questions for after the party.

***

The four of us cut a striking display as we walked into the gym fashionably late. Victoria, Courtney, and I had settled on separate, complementary color schemes a long time ago, and so each of us wore an outfit primarily made of 'our' color--red for Courtney, blue for me, purple for Victoria. Courtney had a smartly-cut pantsuit, accented by a black blouse and tasteful jewelry; I went with a long form-fitting dress, with a white jacket thrown over it and white leggings as a nod to the weather; and Victoria was killing it in a scoop-neck sweater and black pants. Wobbling along on kitten heels, holding Victoria's arm tight for support, was the final member of the pack: Max, in a stripy shirt and white jeans. I'd seen her in the outfit before, but she claimed that it was the nicest outfit that she owned, so we didn't have much choice. Besides, it was important to her and Victoria; they'd shared some kind of deep, meaningful look when Max pulled it out.

We split up and started mingling. The lighting was low, but still better than the usual Vortex Club party—the better to show up the red and green decorations and Dana's banners. A DJ cycled through a mix of Christmas rock and more conventional pop music, carefully keeping us from getting overloaded on too much holiday joy. Students filled the available dance space around the covered-over pool. In the corner, Ms. Grant and Mx. Dog chatted quietly, each keeping an eye on the randy teenagers.

I found myself getting swept up in conversations as I made a circuit around the floor. Here Zachary did his best to chat with me while Juliet clung to him, both of us pretending that I hadn't tried to use him just a few days before. There, Justin and Travis sat with a few other of the school's more chill kids, joking about the music and pretending they were too cool for holiday cheer. I saw Warren swaying awkwardly to the music.

Brooke and Alyssa were talking in hushed tones near the punch table. I was about to just get a drink (not spiked yet, as far as I could tell), when Brooke caught my eye and put on a smirk, breaking off her conversation. “Hey, Taylor,” she said. “Still planning to make me pay?”

Jesus Christ. “I'm just trying to have a good time here, Brooke,” I said. “Can't we stow this shit for now?”

“Sorry, I'm just burning with curiosity. I'm just _so scared_ of whatever your punishment will be. I mean, what can you even do to someone who doesn't care about your Vortex Club bullshit?”

“Don't fucking test me,” I growled. “You still owe me one, whatever you say.”

“Uh-huh. Have fun with your slut posse,” she said, starting to turn away. Alyssa had started edging back, clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation.

Only sheer willpower kept me from crushing the cup in my hand, juice and all. Okay, fuck it. Brooke needed to be brought down a peg, even if that meant resorting to unconventional methods.

“Y'know,” I said loudly, pulling Brooke back in, “I noticed something when I was at your shitty nerd lair. There were a bunch of Pathfinder books there.”

She paused, turning back to me with a wary look. “Yeah, I guess. I'm surprised you noticed.”

“You're not the only one who knows RPGs,” I said. Silently, I thanked my cousin Jessie for the many, many boring hours of conversation about nerd shit. “Especially when they're that loyal. Books in the store, more books stowed in your little RPG cubby. All Pathfinder. And if there's anything I know about Pathfinder nerds, it's that they hate, _hate_ fourth edition D &D. And the people who play it.”

“Uh-huh...?” Brooke was looking uneasy now. Time to spring the trap.

“So I have to wonder,” I said, “Why exactly is your room full of fourth edition books? Do your little nerd friends know about that?” I took a satisfied sip as Brooke's face turned pale. “Oh, I'm sure you didn't think I'd notice. I wonder what they'd think of it?”

I was taking a shot in the dark here; there were any number of explanations why Brooke would have the “heretical” books on her shelf, and it was entirely possible that her group was less shitty than some of the idiots who got into stupid wars over nerdy crap.

Brooke's expression told me that I'd hit a bullseye, though. “You keep your fucking mouth shut about all that,” she hissed at me. “Got it?”

I smirked at her. “Oh, look, a response. Guess I have more sway than you thought I did. Well, if you're not going to help me, I don't see why I should help you.”

Oh man, the look of pure hatred Brooke threw at me was glorious. “Fuck you.”

“All right, if that's your answer...” I shrugged and started to walk away.

“Wait.” I paused, and Brooke took a deep breath. “Fine. I owe you a favor. Are you fucking happy? Just... don't tell anyone, all right?”

“Pleasure doing business with you. Merry Christmas,” I said with a smirk, raising my cup to Brooke before walking away. I caught a brief look at Alyssa's face as I left; I think she was torn between wanting to support her friend, and finding the whole situation hilarious.

"Enjoying yourself?" a smooth voice asked from my elbow. I hadn't even noticed Stella walk up; she was like a ninja, even in her bright pink sweater.

"Sure am," I said, trying not to choke on my cup of punch. "How about you?"

"Same as always. It's nice to see everyone letting their hair down." Stella glanced over her shoulder. "I saw that you and Victoria came in with Courtney. Is everything settled up there?"

I answered with a shrug. "It'll be awkward for a while, but we're getting there. I think we're in a better place now. I didn't get a chance to thank Ellie. Where is she?"

"Last I saw, she was... occupied with Hayden and Olive. I was thinking that I might join them in a bit." Her half-lidded grin left no question about what she meant. Fucking ew.

I kept my face neutral. "Uh, all right, you have... fun?"

"Will do." She paused, then continued, "if everything doesn't work out with Kate and Dana and you need to work out your frustrations, just let me know and I'll hook you up." She gave me a wink, and then she was gone.

I gaped after where she'd left, and asked myself, "Did she just proposition me?"

A small commotion gave me blissful distraction from that disturbing thought. Drifting around, I found Max and Victoria standing near the DJ's booth. Max held an envelope containing what looked like plane tickets, her face bright red, while Victoria had the satisfied look of a cat that had just caught a particularly tasty mouse.

"There's no way I can accept this, Tori!" Max said. "This is too much!"

"Too bad," Victoria practically purred. "The tickets are nonrefundable, so we're going no matter what you say."

"What did Vic do this time?" I asked, unceremoniously crashing the conversation.

"Just making our plans for winter break," Victoria said with a grin.

"She got us tickets to New York! For a week!" Max flailed the envelope around at me. "That's too much, right, Taylor? I can't accept these!"

I replied with a shrug. "Victoria is nothing if not fucking extra. This sounds about right for her." And also explained why she was a bit more cash-strapped than usual; even she couldn't pull a trip like this out of her pocket change, so she must've been saving for a while. Damn, Victoria had it bad. "Seems like a dream trip for you, anyway. Photo galleries and cool shit to take pictures of for days."

"I mean, yeah, I've always wanted to go. This is just... Wowsers." Max settled down a little, still beet red. She let Victoria pull her into a hug, burying her head in my friend's shoulder. "I love you, Tori."

"Love you too, babe," Victoria answered, patting Max's fluffy head.

"Too damn cute," I said with a smirk. "I expect adorable pictures, and gifts. Lots of gifts. Merry Christmas."

Max mumbled something into Victoria's shoulder, and Vic just wiggled her fingers at me as I wandered off.

I got a refill of my punch and took a sip. Still no booze; the chaperones were outdoing themselves at this party. Presumably, they didn't want a bunch of kids going home to their families nursing hangovers. Still, it would make the party more pleasant for sweet, innocent nerds like Kate.

Speaking of whom...

It took longer than it should've for me to spot Kate in the crowd, and when I did, I felt my breath hitch in my throat. She was stunning, in a slim, sleeveless black dress that flared around her ankles, showing off her white kitten heels. Her hair had been straightened, spilling around her shoulders without its usual friz, and the little makeup she wore was on fucking point. I happened to catch her as she turned in my direction, her hair making a clean arc through their air and her necklace glinting in the limited light.

Before I could fully recover from having my breath stolen away, she had caught my eye and was making her way over with a smile and a wave. "Hey, Taylor!" she called. "You look great!"

"You're one to talk," I answered without thought, "you're a fucking babe."

Kate flushed and giggled before pulling me into a hug. "I'm so happy you convinced me to come to this party. It's fun! Way more fun than the last Vortex Club party I went to!"

"I bet." I returned the hug and savored the moment, doing my best to ignore the confused fluttering in my stomach. "So are you here with a special guest?"

"I... might be..." Kate's blush deepened, prompting a grin from me. "Dana and I did some talking, and, well... We came to the dance together. As a date."

"Fuck yeah, mission accomplished!" I said, giving Kate another hug. This was everything we'd been working toward for the week. All the planning, scheming, and manipulating, leading to this moment. I was happy for Kate. Really I was.

I just needed to ignore the sinking emptiness that the news gave me.

"So where's your date, anyway?" I asked, driving the bubble of unease down. "I feel like I should congratulate her too."

Kate gave me a little smile and pointed past me. Turning around and looking up, there was Dana, behind me with a warm look on her face. There was no other way to put it, she was hot as fuck; she wore a low-cut red dress cut in a diagonal from over one shoulder to under the other, the line paralleled by cut of the skirt. A diagonally-worn white belt revealed the intent—Dana looked like a living, sexy candy cane. Jesus, she went all out for holidays. Only one thing went against the theme: A silver pentacle in a circle dangling on a chain from her neck. Interesting.

"Hey, Taylor!" Dana called out, leaning in to give me a one-armed hug. "Glad you could make it. Are you having a good time?"

"Of course, it's a Dana Ward original party. How could it not be great?" I returned the hug as best I could without spilling my drink. "So Kate tells me you two are here as an item? That's unexpected. I'm shocked, really."

"Oh don't even give me that shit," Dana answered with a snort. "She told me about what you've been up to. So that's the big secret plan you couldn't tell me about all week?"

"Well, if the cat's out of the bag..." I tipped my head and raised my drink. "Taylor Christensen, Blackwell matchmaker apparently, at your service."

"I can't say I totally like the idea of you sneaking around planning this stuff behind my back without asking me," Dana said, fixing me with a frown. Ice formed in my stomach; oh shit, was she pissed? But then Kate walked over and took Dana's hand, and Dana's face softened. "But you were right. Everything did work out for me in the end."

"I told you. Everything I do, ultimately for the greater good." I raised my cup again. "Mazel tov and merry Christmas. I hope you two are happy."

"I know I am," Kate said, and she and Dana tapped their cups to mine before we all drank.

Dana looked up sharply as the song changed. "Oh, I love this one! C'mon, Kate, dance with me!" She downed her drink, grabbed Kate's hand, and rushed to the dance floor; I had time to see one slightly panicked smile from Kate before they were gone.

And I was alone.

As usual.

I looked around the party as I drifted to a wall, nursing my cup of punch and watching my friends. Kate and Dana danced (Kate with more enthusiasm than skill). Juliet and Zach made out in a corner. Max and Victoria cuddled and talked, lost in their own little world. Hayden, Ellie, and Olive made an appearance, looking a little flushed and quite smug, Stella drifting in their shadow. Even Courtney wasn't alone; she was chatting amiably with Evan and an unfamiliar guy who, based on how he draped himself over Evan's shoulders, must have been his boyfriend. I could only assume was Evan's boyfriend. She may not have gotten the person she wanted, but she seemed to be taking it well. Better than I would. Better than I was.

I went to take another sip, and found my cup empty. I looked down into the translucent plastic blankly for a moment, then turned and started walking toward the coat check. My job was done. Nothing left for me to do here. Maybe I should get some sleep; I had a long drive back to Eureka coming up in the next few days, and I could use some rest after my week.

I didn't get far out of the gym, huddling inside my coat against the cold December night (thank God it wasn't raining, at least), when my phone beeped. Weird; basically everyone I knew who would be texting me was behind me, partying the night away.

It was Kate. _Where are you? Dana and I can't find you._  
 **I'm going to my room to get some rest. Have fun!**  
 _We'll meet you on the way back to the dorms. Hold on!_  
I frowned at my phone. What the fuck? **No, stay and have fun. I'm fine.**  
 _We need to talk to you._  
 **Why do you need to**

I wasn't able to finish my text when I hear Dana calling, "Taylor! Wait up!" My steps slowed as she and Kate bustled after me.

"What's going on?" I asked. Were they pissed off at me about something? I thought everything was chill, but odds seemed good that I'd done something wrong without even knowing it. That would fit the pattern of my life. "Why aren't you partying?"

"We wanted to talk to you," Dana said, "but you left before we could."

"About what?" I asked. "What'd I fuck up this time?"

"Nothing, you—" Dana paused as a couple of students walked past, shouting and laughing. "...Maybe we should talk somewhere more private."

"Did you want to head up to the dorm?" I asked. "It'd be a shame for you two to turn in so early, but—"

"What about the lighthouse?"

Dana and I turned to Kate. "Huh? Why the lighthouse?" I asked.

Kate flushed under the scrutiny. "Um. I don't know, it just seems like... a special place. Max said she and Chloe used to spend a lot of time there, and that's where she took that photo of Victoria, right?"

Dana slowly nodded. "Yeah, it's... a powerful place. Always has been, according to Ms. Grant. I'm okay with that. Taylor?"

I shrugged. "Sure, whatever. I'll meet you out there in a bit."

They agreed and left, heading to Dana's car. For a second, I was tempted to run for it and ditch them. Whatever they needed to talk about, whatever I'd done, it'd be easier to just flee. Leave them alone, let them bond over what a shitbird I was, as I took off for Eureka. For home.

...Okay, I was tempted for a longer than a second.

I shook myself out of my decision paralysis. This was stupid. I knew what I needed to do; it was time to face the music.

...After a quick trip to my room.

***

Unsurprisingly, Dana and Kate were already at the lighthouse as I made the trek up from the parking lot. They sat on the bench overlooking Arcadia Bay, cuddling against the cold ocean wind. A full moon peaked out through gaps in the clouds, lighting the sky up with swirling silver patterns. I paused for a moment, taking in the adorable sight. Max or Victoria might have taken a picture, made sure to share this moment. Me, I was glad to have it all to myself like a greedy bitch. Again, the temptation to flee rose up in my gut, to leave them in peace, and I had to quash it down. I was committed to this course. I had consequences coming, and it was time to face them.

"Ho, ho, ho, motherfuckers!" I called out, startling the lovebirds out of their tranquility. "Merry Christmas. So why did you drag me out here, instead of dancing at the nice warm party?"

"Hey!" Dana called. "What took you so long, anyway?"

“I come bearing gifts,” I said, holding up two thick bushels. “Good thing you two actually got together, or these would be going to waste.” With a flourish, I handed each girl a bouquet. “Lilies and orchids, to celebrate your flourishing romance, from the little shop off Fifth Street. Only the gayest of flowers for you nerds.”

“Oh, I've been there!” Kate said, taking her bouquet and sniffing it delicately. “Mr. Sato is in my church, and he always makes very generous donations of flower arrangements.”

“Huh, neat. Yeah, I went there a couple of months ago, when...” I paused. Did I really need to bring up my shittery to Kate again, and why I'd needed to give her flowers in October?

I was saved by Dana. She'd been holding back a snicker while Kate and I talked, but the dam broke and she leaned hard into Kate as she laughed.

“Uh, did I miss a joke?” I asked.

Dana held up her flowers. “Nothing, just... you don't remember what lilies mean in _Imagine Me and You_?”

“Wha— Oh shit.” I groaned and flushed, turning away. “God fucking dammit. 'Lilies mean I dare you to love me.'” There were Freudian slips; then there was this shit. This was a full on Freudian pratfall.

“I mean... that kinda gets at why we asked you out here tonight,” Dana said, wiping her eyes.

“Um.” I slid my hands into my coat pockets. “What—” Jesus Christ, frog in my throat. “What do you mean?”

“Just, well...” Dana looked at Kate and shuffled uneasily. “When Kate and I were talking, we decided that it was time to be more open and honest. With each other. About who we are.”

Oh thank God a lifeline. “Oh yeah, I'd been meaning to ask about that. New necklace?” I gestured toward her pentagram.

Dana blinked at me, thrown off by the topic change. “Not really, but I never felt comfortable wearing it before. But like I said, it's time to be honest with myself and the people and I care about.”

"Yeah?" I raised an eyebrow at Kate. "What do you think of it?"

Kate answered with a shrug. "I've read a little about Wicca, now that I'm away from my parents. It's interesting. Mostly, it seems to be a faith of kindness and trust in the world. I can appreciate that."

"You're sure?" Dana asked, a bit of unease creeping into her voice. "You're not worried about my eternal soul or anything, right?"

Kate actually took a moment to consider that before shaking her head. "I like to think that God is kind, and that He isn't trying to trick us. My parents think that our faith is the only way to God's grace, but then why would He create so many false paths that have all the signs of goodness to them, but lead to damnation? I prefer to think that there are many paths to God, and it's up to the goodness of each person to understand and follow those paths."

"Shit, if that kind of theology was more mainstream, I might've stayed with a church," Dana said with a weak laugh.

"I'm glad you've got that sorted out," I said. The wind stirred, sending an old newspaper flying by, and I brought my boot down on it harder than strictly necessary. Fuck litter. "Sometimes I wish I could have your faith, Kate. It'd make life feel a lot less bleak."

Kate frowned, up at me from the bench. "Faith is available for everyone, Taylor, if you're willing to accept it into your heart."

"My heart's not the problem, it's my head." I pulled out a hand to tap my temple with a finger. "The world's a bastard, and I basically can't buy that a benevolent anything is looking out for us. I can want to believe otherwise as much as I want, but I'll always come back to what feels like the truth."

"That's a hell of a harsh truth you're holding onto there," Dana said with a frown, leaning forward in her seat.

"The world's full of them," I answered. “Like I said, it's a bastard.” We fell into silence, Kate leaning into Dana while I looked out at the gentle waves on the bay. Yup, Taylor Christensen, professional buzzkill.

“Anyway, like I was saying,” Dana said awkwardly, “we decided we should be more honest with each other. And with you.”

“I'm not sure what you're getting at there.” Fuck, so much for dodging the serious talk.

"Taylor?" Kate asked softly. "Do you like me?"

My brain came to a screeching halt. What the fuck. "Uh. I mean, yeah, I know I was a bitch to you before, but you've grown on—"

"You know what she means, Taylor," Dana said with a sigh. Oh shit. There was mama-bear voice.

"Fuck. Um." I hesitated, turning my back to the girls. Everyone had kept fucking asking me that question all week. It'd been easy to deny. Of course I wasn't into Kate. Of course not.

So why couldn't I choke it out while Kate was right in front of me, wide eyes trained on mine?

"What about me?" Dana asked softly. "Are you interested in me?"

I knew the answer to that one, obviously, but seriously, what the fuck was going on? "What does it matter?" I asked. "You two are together, right? Why do you give a shit about what I think?"

“Like I said, we've been talking about honesty,” Dana said carefully. “I appreciate everything you did this last week, but I don't appreciate you having to lie to me and go behind my back to do it.” Kate flinched guiltily at that. “I want to be honest with you, Taylor. But you need to be honest with us.”

“And how do I factor into this at all?” I asked. “My job's done. You've finally got your shit together, don't go fucking around with me. I'm not worth it."

Quicker than I could track, Dana was up off the bench, wrapping her arms around me and squeezing tight. "Taylor. Come on. You've been a huge part of our lives. This week, obviously, but longer than that. We care about you, and your feelings are important to us. You're as much a part of everything as me and Kate.”

God, I wanted to just stay there, held in Dana's arms. It's all I'd wanted for a long time. But Kate was right there. Dana was Kate's girlfriend now. That was downright miraculous, and even I wasn't enough of an blasphemer to destroy a miracle.

Dana resisted at first as I struggled to get free. A few hard shoves, though, and she backed off, hurt feelings plain in her eyes. Fuck. I quashed down the guilt, stalking away from her. I jabbed a finger in Kate's direction. "You really want to know how I feel? Fine, here it is. I've wanted to fuck Dana for months. Yes, including the whole week I've been helping you." 

Before she could answer, I turned back to Dana. "And I didn't want to fuck Kate, but all I've heard this last week is people telling me that I do, and now I can't get the idea out of my goddamned head. So apparently now I want both of you. But it doesn't fucking matter, because you have each other. And that's a good thing! You two are good people, and you each deserve a girl who'll treat you well. Me, I'm a total shithole. I lie, cheat, and manipulate. I hurt people, and it's taken every fucking bit of willpower not to mess up this actually good relationship for my own fucked up ends. There, are you fucking happy? Was that everything you wanted to hear?"

"Taylor—" Kate said, standing up to reach out to me.

"Don't fucking touch me," I snapped, and she backed up, looking like a kicked puppy. "You'll get asshole all over you. I'm not a good person, Kate. Just this week, I've betrayed my friends, kept secrets, broken promises, and attacked people over petty bullshit.” The world was getting blurry. Maybe the punch had been spiked after all? ...Wait, no, that was just me tearing up. “You and Dana, you're fucking angels. I'm a monster, and I don't deserve whatever kindness you're trying to show to me.” I took a shaky breath. “Now if you're done prying useless secrets out of me, I'm heading home tomorrow and I need to sleep. Adios." I hesitated, and continued softly, "And seriously, congratulations. You'll be good for each other. Way better than I could be for either of you."

I turned, slammed the stray newspaper from my boot into a trash can, and continued stomping back through the mud to my car. Behind me, I heard boots crunching on the ground, then Kate saying softly, "Let her go." Dana must have been the one to try to come after me. Well, I guess I'd gotten through to Kate. Tarnished some of her innocence with my shit.

Good fucking job, Taylor.

***

There are lots of things they warn you not to do before driving. Don't drive if you're sleepy. Don't drive if you're drunk. Don't drive if you're stoned. Don't drive while on large amounts of cold medication. They never tell you not to drive while sobbing, but they totally should.

It was a minor miracle that I didn't kill anyone on my way back to Blackwell. I could barely see the campus as I stomped my way to the dorms. A few figures stood near the front door—Victoria, Max, and Warren, going by their voices. Warren was rambling about something, but he came to a stop as I barged through. "Taylor?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"Fuck off," I snarled back, and bulled my way through on up to my room. I'm sure I interrupted some heartfelt moment—probably Warren apologizing for his creepiness. Well, there was another item for the long tally of things I'd fucked up.

I didn't encounter anyone else on the way to my room, which suit me just fine. My hands shook as I unlocked my door and stepped inside, closing it with a slam behind me. And then I broke down into big, ugly sobs. Already, I could feel the guilt and self-loathing rise. What the fuck had I done? Kate and Dana had reached out to me. They obviously had something in mind when they asked about my feelings, and I'd spat it back in their faces before they could say their piece. Some kind of closure was on the table, and instead I'd lashed out and left some big ugly social wounds.

Merry fucking Christmas to me.

I'd almost dozed off, curled up on my bed in my party dress and big ugly streaks of makeup running down my face, when I heard quiet voices outside my door. I couldn't make out the words, but I basically had a sixth sense when it came to Victoria, so I knew she was one of the speakers. There was no reason to come down to this part of the hall unless she wanted to visit me. So, great, now I had another relationship to endanger.

Right on cue, my door quietly opened. Damn, I'd forgotten to lock it. "Not right now, Vic," I called out, my voice rough. "It's not a good—"

"Taylor?" That wasn't Victoria's voice. "Please don't force us out again. We really do want to talk to you."

I looked up. Yup, that was Kate, with Dana lingering behind her; they'd shucked their winter coats, leaving them in their party dresses. I caught a quick glimpse of Victoria and Max peaking into the room before shutting the door, trapping me with the lovebirds. Son of a bitch.

"What else could there possibly be to say?" I asked, rubbing at my red eyes. "Haven't I humiliated myself enough?"

"You didn't do anything wrong," Kate said softly, gingerly sitting next to me on the bed. "Truthfully, I was happy that you were finally willing to open up about your feelings. I just wish it hadn't hurt you so much to do so.”

“My feelings aren't worth talking about,” I grumbled, curling up and hugging my knees. “I still don't see why you care so much. You two are together, and that's great. My feelings, whatever they are? Totally not relevant.”

“Jesus goddamn Christ, Taylor,” Dana said, folding her arms, “if you'd let us talk, you'd know that we're into you too, you loser.”

The world stood still for a moment. “...Sorry, I seem to be having auditory hallucinations. What was that again?”

Kate giggled weakly and leaned over to nudge my shoulder with hers. “You heard what she said. We like you too. The... the same way you like us. The same way we like each other.”

I stared blankly at her.

"Stella was the one to bring it up," Kate continued rambling. "She saw how close the three of us were getting, and she said she'd talked to you. And I was thinking about it, with some of those links you had, and when we were talking about the movie..."

Dana nodded. "I was talking to Hayden yesterday and he brought it up too, talking about his relationship with Ellie and Olive. It sounded... nice. And thinking about the last week, with me and Kate... you were there the whole time. And it felt right. It's hard to imagine you not being there."

"So, Taylor..." Kate cleared her throat, flushing hard, her voice shaky. It was adorable. "We were wondering if you would, uh, be our girlfriend?"

My head was spinning with a thousand social and emotional calculations. After everything that'd happened, to think that I would finally get the girl—get both the girls... It sounded impossible. That kind of happiness wasn't reserved for someone like me. I was the asshole who'd gotten her comeuppance by the end of the movie, not the goddamn hero. There was no way I deserved this.

“You can't be serious,” I said. “I already told you, I'm a total bitch.”

"Well obviously," Dana said with a smile. "If we weren't willing to put up with that, we wouldn't ask."

I shook my head. "No, really. You two are, like, perfect together. I can't think of a better couple for each other. I don't want to fuck it up or wreck it. I don't want to—"

I barely caught a glimpse of Kate's expression of resolve before she was moving in, and her lips were pressed against mine, and holy shit. I talked a big game to Max, but I honestly hadn't kissed that many people. Without a doubt, that soft, warm, tender smooch was the best kiss I'd ever experienced. Ten out of ten, would snog again.

It was so good, in fact, that I fell off my bed.

“Taylor! Are you all right?” Kate asked as Dana swooped in to help me up.

“Jesus, Kate, you literally swept me off my feet,” I said dizzily, leaning into Dana's hold. “Told you you'd be a ladyk—“

Oh holy shit Dana was kissing me too. Holy shit somehow it was better than my raging libido had told me it would be. Where Kate was warm and soft and tender, Dana was fierce and hungry and strong. Which wasn't a mark against her. Not in the fucking least.

“There,” Dana said as she pulled away. Without realizing it, I'd gone into a full-on swoon, held up only by her strong arms. She gently deposited me on my bed and sat down next to me. Shit, I was surrounded. “You've gotten a taste. What do you say?”

What the fuck could I say?

“I... you're sure.” I looked back at Kate, whose eyes were shining and cheeks were red. “Me and Dana kissing, that doesn't bother you.”

“I, uh...” She shuffled, her blush deepening. “Not at all. I kinda liked it.”

My head was spinning. Or the world was spinning. This couldn't be real. This had to be a dream. There was no way I was getting everything I could ever want like this.

...Well, if it was a dream, why not make it a nice one?

I reached out and pulled Kate into a hug, making her squeak in surprise. Dana laughed and wrapped her arms around us both. “Fuck it. Fine. I'm willing to give this a shot if you two are,” I said.

“Fucking finally,” Dana said, giving us a squeeze. “You're way too stubborn for your own good. Especially when we're trying to get you to do something good for yourself.”

“Yeah yeah yeah, shut it,” I grumbled. “Less talking, more kissing.”

Dana and Kate happily complied.

Merry Christmas to me.


End file.
